Cancer is a big concern for many of us as we grow older. It is estimated that a third of people in the Western world will develop cancer at some point in their lives, and your chances of cancer go up if you’ve already suffered a growth of any kind, even more if that growth was cancerous.
So, if we haven’t had cancer before, we’re already worried because of the statistical possibilities. And if we have had cancer before, there is the very real risk it will return.
Fortunately, there are ways of reducing our risk of developing cancer, whether we are low risk, high risk, have a family history, or have even suffered cancer ourselves in the past.
Getting enough of the right minerals is one of those ways in which we can protect our bodies against cancer.
And, as it is a gentle, natural solution, it doesn’t matter what else you are doing – meaning, that even if you are suffering cancer already and undergoing treatment for it, consuming the right amounts of the right minerals can only help, not harm, your chances of developing a healthier, more cancer-resistant body.
To understand how this works, you first need to consider that cancer is not something totally new to our bodies. Cancer cells form every single day.
Cells have a bad habit of mutating when they split, and these mutations usually result in a cell dying, or in it attracting white blood cells, which kill it and digest it, so we can absorb the nutrients from it and try again.
However, for our white blood cells to do this job we need a fit and healthy immune system. If we do anything at all to weaken our immune system, we increase our chances of cancer.
Now, of course there is no certainty to this. You could have a dreadful immune system and never get cancer, or an amazing immune system and still develop it.
However, statistically speaking, the more we do to make our immune systems strong, the lower our chances of developing cancer are.
The following minerals are essential to boosting our immune system, which will help us fight off cancer cells.
Zinc
Zinc is one of our body’s most essential minerals, so it should come as no surprise that it is amazing in preventing the formation and development of cancer cells.
How does it do this? Zinc plays on both fronts. Primarily, it helps support healthy hormones and a strong immune system, so our bodies can fight back against cancer cells.
But, it is also essential to proper copying of DNA and RNA, preventing the formation of cancer cells in the first place.
Magnesium
Magnesium also plays its own role in making sure DNA and RNA copy themselves correctly. It can actually repair damaged DNA and RNA patterns, neutralizing cancer cells which have begun to spread, reducing our risk of cancer metastasizing into other organs.
Iodine
Iodine is a powerfully antioxidant mineral which helps keep our thyroid in good condition. It is essential for maintaining our body’s energy levels and for regulating the production of thyroid hormone, which has an impact on hormones and immune functions all around our bodies.
Many salts have added iodine, but natural sea salts, sea vegetables, and shellfish are much better sources for us.
Calcium
Calcium is crucial to protecting against colon cancer. This is because it binds with excess fats in the gut and helps them pass through cleanly, preventing build ups of fat which cause poor absorption of other nutrients, irritation, and a weak immune system. Calcium can be found in tinned fish, nuts and seeds, dairy, and dark leafy greens.
Selenium
Selenium is yet another amazing mineral for preventing cancer, but for a completely different reason. Selenium allows our bodies to make glutathione, which is a basic enzyme our bodies use to clear down levels of toxins in the blood, fat, and muscles.
This reduction in toxic load keeps our immune system strong by reducing its workload, thus giving it much more time and energy to fight cancer.
