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| Another study measured beta-carotene levels in both healthy women and women with cervical cancer. Significantly lower levels of this carotenoid were found in the cancer group. The same study demonstrated a marked increase in beta-carotene levels in cervicovaginal cells for all subjects after oral supplementation. The findings support a previous hypothesis that beta-carotene deficiency may have an etiologic role in the development of cervical cancer. 13 |
| It has been demonstrated both in experimental and clinical applications that carotenoids and retinoids (the form of vitamin A released from the liver) inhibit carcinogenesis in the promotional stage. One form of retinoid (13-cisretinoic acid) is being tested in various cancers and is showing promise. Some of these cancers include squamous cell carcinoma cell lines, both acute and chronic myelocytic leukemia, ovarian cancer, small-cell lung cancer, neuroblastoma, and multiple myeloma. This treatment does cause immune suppression, but vitamin E reduces the toxicity and permits prolonged drug delivery. |
| Recently there have been some studies using carotenoids, in particular beta-carotene, along with certain chemotherapeutic agents, to see what effect they might have upon each other. The result of these studies indicates that carotenoids could have a synergistic effect with some chemotherapeutic agents.14 |
| A case-controlled study in Melbourne, Australia, of eighty-eight consecutive males admitted for the surgical removal of nonmelanocytic skin cancer and eighty-eight male controls admitted for small elective surgeries has shown that those who developed skin cancer had lower levels of beta-carotene and vitamin A than the controls. The incidence of skin cancer was inversely related to the level of serum beta-carotene.15 |
| As mentioned earlier, I recommend one carotenoid supplement only: Beta-Plex by Scientific Botanicals. This is a liquid solution of naturally occurring full-spectrum carotenoids from vegetables. Until very recently, most of the research on carotenoids has been done with synthetic beta-carotene only. If a full-spectrum carotenoid supplement, such as Beta-Plex, were to be used in clinical trials, I believe we would see consistently impressive results both for cancer prevention and treatment. |
| Vitamin E Succinate |
| Vitamin E's most characterized function is as a lipid-soluble antioxidant within the cell membranes, functioning as a free-radical scavenger to prevent lipid |
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