• Deaths Annually: 553,091 (2000)
• Age-Adjusted Death Rate: 200.9 deaths per 100,000 population (2000)
• Cause of Death Rank: 2 (2000) ¹

Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States.  Half of all men and one-third of all women in the U.S. will develop cancer during their lifetime. However, the risk of developing most types of cancer can be reduced by changes in a person's lifestyle, such as quitting smoking and a better diet.² 

Cancer develops when the DNA in a cell is damaged and the cell becomes abnormal.  As the cell grows, the damaged DNA is duplicated in each cell and the cells in that part of the body begin to grow out of control. Although there are many kinds of cancer, they all start because of out-of-control growth of abnormal cells.³

People can inherit damaged DNA, which accounts for inherited cancers. Many times though, a person’s DNA becomes damaged by exposure to something in the environment, such as cigarette smoke.

Normal body cells grow, divide, and die in an orderly fashion. During the early years of a person's life, normal cells divide more rapidly until the person becomes an adult. After that, cells in most parts of the body divide only to replace worn-out or dying cells and to repair injuries.

Because cancer cells continue to grow and divide, they are different from normal cells. Instead of dying, they outlive normal cells and continue to form new abnormal cells.

Cancer cells often travel to other parts of the body where they begin to grow and replace normal tissue. This process, called metastasis, occurs as the cancer cells get into the bloodstream or lymph vessels of our body. When cells from a cancer like breast cancer spread to another organ like the liver, the cancer is still called breast cancer, not liver cancer.

Cancer usually forms as a tumor. Some cancers, like leukemia, do not form tumors. Instead, these cancer cells involve the blood and blood-forming organs and circulate through other tissues where they grow.

Remember that not all tumors are cancerous. Benign (non-cancerous) tumors do not metastasize (spread to other parts of the body) and, with very rare exceptions, are not life threatening.

Different types of cancer can behave very differently. For example, lung cancer and breast cancer are very different diseases. They grow at different rates and respond to different treatments. That is why people with cancer need treatment that is aimed at their particular kind of cancer.

Being informed about this major killer is important and can be depressing when you realize that 1 in 3 of us will get some form of cancer in our lifetime.  The good news is that much research has been done to show that an improved lifestyle including healthier eating, exercise and proper nutrient levels can help prevent this terrible disease.

For example, a study from the Journal of the American Medical Association Vol. 281 No. 15, April 21, 1999 showed that Vitamin C was "beneficial in preventing cancer".⁴  Another study reported in a leading Cancer Epidemiology forum in October of 2001 that "Vitamin C supplement use was associated with a significantly lower risk for gastric cancer". ⁵

An interesting note is that both studies refer to the increased intake of vitamin C from fruits and vegetables.  The Greatest Vitamin in the World uses only the most absorbable form of Vitamin C from Acerola Cherries.  This organic form of Vitamin C comes from the Ecuadorian rain forest.  Check out the research on the importance of utilizing whole food vitamins versus synthetics in the Vitamin section.

Another greatly researched nutrient for helping prevent cancer is Garlic.  One of many studies was done at the Department of Epidemiology and Nutrition, at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.⁶  This study concluded that "Garlic may be associated with a protective effect against stomach and colorectal cancers".

Many other studies have shown that Beta Carotene and other antioxidants have a great impact against cancer-causing free radicals.⁷ Antioxidants have been shown to actually inhibit the development of cancer.⁸ Be sure to check out the tremendous benefits of antioxidants in our anti-aging section of the website.

Cancer is a terrible disease that many of us are at risk for.  The Greatest Vitamin in the World works to help lower that risk by providing you with 100% of the daily needs of all essential nutrients along with some of the most researched cancer prevention nutrients known.

1. National Vital Statistics Report, Vol. 50, No. 16
2. Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Edition 16. F.A. Davis Company: Philadelphia,1989, p. 276.
3. http://www.cancer.org/. Faulty DNA Repair May Make Some Smokers More Likely to Develop Lung Cancer.
4. JAMA. Vol 281, No. 15, April 21, 1999.
5. Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention. Vol. 10, 1055-1062, October 2001.
6. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Vol, 72, No. 4, 1047-1052, October 2000.
7. JAAMA. Vol 279, No. 18, May 13, 1998.
8. Blot, W.J., et al. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1993;18:1483-1492.