A report issued by the American Cancer Society in January last year found a staggering 156 Americans PER HOUR were diagnosed with cancer, and more than a half-million people were predicted to die from it by the end of 2004. With statistics like these (and the one's highlighted in the above article) it's no surprise cancer has been named the top killer of Americans under the age of 85.

Fortunately, there are steps you can follow to avoid becoming another victim of this "serial killer." By following these simple strategies, you can be sure optimize your health so you won't fall stricken with cancer this year ... or ever.

The first strategy is to avoid sugar whenever possible. What you need to understand is that sugar feeds cancer. This has been known for nearly 100 years now. In fact they gave the Nobel Prize in medicine in 1931 to a German physician for discovering this. Unfortunately, most contemporary oncologists fail to appreciate this basic concept and do not advise patients to avoid sugar.

I understand that it is not a surprise to learn that sugar is harmful to you, but you may be surprised to find out how many ways it is. You can learn more ways sugar can damage your body, by reading: 124 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health.

Next, please have your vitamin D levels checked as soon as possible. There is a mountain of scientific evidence that clearly show how powerful an influence vitamin D is on the prevention and treatment of cancer. Optimal vitamin D levels works dramatically in preventing many cancers, especially breast, prostate and colon cancers.

Most of us have vitamin D levels that are far too low. The best way to bring these levels back up is by exposing your skin to sunshine, something most of us can and should do in the summer. There is strong evidence that the long-standing recommendation of avoiding sun exposure has increased cancer deaths, not just non-fatal skin cancers, by more than 50,000 per year in the United States due to lowered vitamin D levels.

Finally, if you want to prevent cancer it is important to work on balancing your ratio of omega-3 and omega-6 fats by taking a premium fish or cod liver oil every day. This is because the omega-3 in fish is high in two fatty acids crucial to human health, DHA and EPA. When choosing your fish or cod liver oil /forms/carlsons.aspx, it is important to remember that not all brands are the same. Therefore, you will want to do a little homework so you can ensure the quality of the omega-3 fish or cod liver oil you consume is the best out there:

1. Make sure that your brand is free of mercury and PCBs. This will not be on the label so you will need to:

   • Contact the manufacturer for their analysis
   • Review an independent third party that has analyzed the product
   • Hire a company to test the product yourself

2. Confirm that there are very low oxidation products in the cod liver oil.

   Cod liver oil has long-chain unsaturated fats (primarily EPA and DHA) and they are very susceptible to oxidation or damage. If the oil is not processed properly damage will occur. Many years ago nearly all the fish oils were oxidized. That is why when you mention cod liver oil to most anyone they turn up their nose in disgust. Typically, they only taste bad when they are oxidized.

3. 3. Make certain your cod liver oil has therapeutic levels of vitamin E in it.

   Because fish and cod liver oils are very susceptible to oxidation and rancidity, nearly all manufacturers insert a small amount of one unit of vitamin E per teaspoon. This is sufficient to prevent oxidation of the fish oil in the bottle. However, after you consume it this is woefully inadequate. Your body will tend to oxidize the fish oil and much larger doses of vitamin E are needed to prevent the fish oil from going rancid in your body.

   There are a number of high quality fish/cod liver oils on the market. Many of you know I recommend Carlson's. If you can't find that in your local health foods store we do carry it on our site for your convenience.

Related Articles:

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Newest Natural Cancer-Fighting Food: Apples

Too Much Vitamin D Can Cause Cancer

Should Vitamin D be Given to Cancer Patients?