Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

Breast cancer strikes over 200,000 American women per year and approximately one fourth of those diagnosed succumb to this potentially fatal disease. While the causes of cancers are never definitively known, a recent meta-analysis suggests that eating foods rich in carotenoids – such as fruits and vegetables – may reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.

Carotenoids are the phytochemicals that provide the bright red, orange or yellow coloration to many fruit and vegetables. They serve as antioxidants and can be a good source of vitamin A. They have been shown in previous research to protect against cardiovascular disease, some cancers and macular eye disease.

The researchers found that when carotenoid levels were measured in participant’s blood, results were quite dramatic. Each additional 100 micrograms of total carotenoid per dL of blood intake was associated with a 22% reduced risk of breast cancer. As far as specific carotenoids are concerned:
• each additional 50 micrograms of beta-carotene per dL of blood was associated with a 26% reduced risk;
• each additional 10 micrograms of alpha-carotene per dL of blood was associated with a 18% reduced risk;
• each additional 25 micrograms of lutein per dL of blood was associated with a 32% reduced risk.

The researchers for this study were based at Imperial College in London, UK. They published their results online ahead of print on July 3, 2012, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

If you want to get more carotenoids in your diet, the easiest way is to make sure that your meals contain a variety of colors. Include as many fruits and vegetables as possible and switch it up now and then. The beneficial actions of carotenoids are optimal when a variety of carotenoids are consumed together.

Sarah McGowan-Freije, NatureCity author & contributor

Whether you live in a sunny or cloudy climate, it is important to protect yourself from the potentially damaging effects of getting too much sun. Did you know you can make changes to your diet that could help lower your risk of skin cancer?

That’s the news from researchers at Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Their study—published on March 1, 2012 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology—suggests that vitamin A intake could be associated with a significant reduction in incidences of skin cancer.

The study included 69,635 individuals who were participating in the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) study. During an average 5.84 years of follow up, 566 participants had developed melanoma.

The researchers found that a reduced risk of melanoma (up to 40%) was associated only with supplements of vitamin A in the form of retinol. No relationship between dietary vitamin A and melanoma risk was found. They also found that the protective effects were stronger in women than in men.

Retinol is vitamin A in its purest and most active form. Previous studies have associated it with creating stronger, healthier skin cells, the stimulation of collagen protection and acne management. Retinol is found naturally in animal sources such as liver, kidney, eggs and dairy products and is also available in supplement form.

Emma McGowan NatureCity author & contributor

Retinitis pigmentosa is a debilitating disease that usually leaves people blind by the age of 60. It starts with night blindness in the teenage years, progresses through loss of peripheral vision, to tunnel vision, and finally to blindness. Researchers at Harvard University believe they have found the first effective treatment for this condition.

The findings of their study were published online ahead of print on February 13, 2012, in the Archives of Ophtamlmology.

The study examined data from three clinical trials that included 357 individuals with typical retinitis pigmentosa. Over the course of 4 to 6 years, the participants received 15,000 IU per day of vitamin A. Food frequency questionnaires were utilized to determine omega-3 fatty-acid intake levels.

The researchers discovered that consuming at least 200 mg of omega-3 fatty-acids correlated with a 40% slower decline in distance visual acuity. It also correlated with a nearly 50% slower rate of decline in central visual field sensitivity. These results could translate into 18 more years of vision for people with retinitis pigmentosa.

The retina contains rods and cones that act as photoreceptors and transfer light to vision centers in the brain. Rods are specialized to perceive dim light and detect movement and register shapes. Cones function best in bright daylight and allow people to see colors and fine details.

Rods and cones die in the retinas of people with retinitis pigmentosa. Research has shown that rod degeneration results from a deficiency of vitamin A. The researchers believe vitamin A combined with omega-3’s helps people with retinitis pigmentosa by slowing rod degeneration. They suggest taking vitamin A to replenish the rods and omega-3’s to improve delivery of vitamin A to cones.

In addition to eye health, omega-3s have been linked to an impressive number of health benefits, including age-related cognitive decline, improved heart health, alleviating arthritis pain, better moods, improved joint mobility, and aiding your immune system.

Vitamin A has been shown to improve diarrhea and the symptoms of respiratory disease, to slow the growth of pancreatic cancer cells, and to reduce the risk of measles. People who are deficient in vitamin A are also at risk for vision problems and many chronic diseases.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Do you find yourself saying “What?” a little more often than before during conversations? Researchers from the University of Sydney conducted a study that found you may be able to prevent your hearing loss from getting worse by increasing your vitamin E and vitamin A intake.

The study was published online ahead of print in The Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging on July 12, 2011.

Participants in the study included 2,956 adults participating in the Blue Mountains Hearing Study, which took place from 1997-1999 and again from 2002-2004. All of the participants were at least 50 years of age at the onset of the study.

The scientists assessed age-related hearing loss using pure tone audiometry, which measures hearing at various frequencies. Dietary intake data was collected via a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire. The questionnaire was used to determine intake of alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, beta-cryptoxanthin, lutein and zeaxanthin, lycopene, vitamins A, C and E, iron and zinc.

After adjusting for other factors affecting hearing loss (such as age, sex, noise exposure, etc.) the researchers concluded that the people with the highest level of vitamin A had a 47% reduced risk of hearing loss when compared to people with the lowest intakes. In addition, increasing dietary intake of vitamin E was associated with a 14% reduction in hearing loss.

The researchers believe that this beneficial effect comes from the antioxidants present in the vitamins. They noted that a reactive oxygen species seems to damage the inner ear, an occurrence that can be counterbalanced by the antioxidants.

Vitamin E has been linked to lower cholesterol, healthier skin, maintaining a proper hormonal balance, and preventing myothropic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Vitamin A has been shown to improve diarrhea and the symptoms of respiratory disease, to slow the growth of pancreatic cancer cells, and to reduce the risk of measles. People who are deficient in vitamin A are also at risk for vision problems and many chronic diseases.

If you’re looking to add more vitamin E to your diet, try eating more sunflower seeds, breakfast cereal, tomatoes, dried herbs, and dried apricots. For vitamin A, look to beef liver, egg yolk, cheddar cheese, and fortified milk. If you think you’re not getting enough of these essential vitamins in your daily diet, try a high quality supplement.

Scott Greenberg, NatureCity author & contributor

Pancreatic cancer is virtually undetectable in the early stages and extremely difficult to treat once it spreads outside of the pancreas. As a result it is one of the most lethal forms of cancer.

Scientists at Barts, the University of Cambridge, and the Hubrecht Institute in Holland have found a link between vitamin A and pancreatic cancer prevention.

The study was published in the journal Gastroentrology on June 24, 2011.

The scientists used “the seed and soil theory,” which posits that targeting the tissue around a cancerous cell is just as important to fighting cancer as targeting the cancerous cell itself. The mechanism behind the theory is that by changing the cells around a cancerous cell, they will hinder the growth of cancer cells.

The scientists found that treating the non-cancerous cells taken from pancreatic cancer patients with vitamin A resulted in slowed growth of the cancerous cells. People with pancreatic cancer usually have vitamin deficiencies. The researchers noted that other vitamins may also have the potential to slow the growth of pancreatic cancer cells.

Vitamin A has been shown to improve diarrhea and the symptoms of respiratory disease, and to reduce the risk of measles. People who are deficient in vitamin A are also at risk for vision problems and many chronic diseases.

This essential vitamin can be found in beef liver, egg yolk, cheddar cheese, and fortified milk. If you think you’re not getting enough of these foods in your daily diet, try a high quality supplement.

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

Vitamin A supplementation for children under 5 could save over 1 million lives a year according a large review conducted recently by the Cochrane Collaboration.

The researchers reviewed data from over 40 studies including 200,000 children between 5 and 6 years of age.

The data from these studies showed that vitamin A supplementation reduced all cause mortality by 24%.

Some of the most common health problems associated with vitamin A deficiency include an increased risk of measles, diarrhea and respiratory disease. Vitamin A deficiency can also cause vision problems.

Based on the evidence gathered in their review, the researchers encourage more widespread vitamin A supplementation programs for pregnant women and young children in low and middle income countries.

Although supplementation can provide a short term solution for deficiency the only true solution to the problem is finding ways to help low and middle income countries improve nutrition.

This review follows a study conducted earlier this year showing that vitamin A is essential for the energy production processes in our cells. Vitamin A is also essential for avoiding numerous chronic diseases as well as for both skin and eye health.

Although vitamin A can be found in supplement form, you can get plenty of it through diet alone. Some of the top sources of vitamin A include:

• Beef liver

• Egg yolk

• Cheddar cheese

• Fortified milk

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

A combination of vitamin A and a nutrient called lutein may slow vision loss according to a recent study published in the April 2010 issue of the Archives of Ophthalmology.

Lutein is a nutrient found in numerous foods and is most common in green, leafy vegetables like spinach and kale as well as egg yolks and animal fat.

For the study, researchers from the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary recruited 225 non-smoking people between 18 and 60 years of age. All of the participants had an eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, which refers to a group of hereditary eye disorders that lead to progressive vision loss.

At the start of the study, the participants were divided into two groups. One group received vitamin A only (1,500 micrograms) or vitamin A plus lutein (12 mg per day) for four years.

According to the researchers, under normal conditions someone with Retinitis Pigmentosa would lose their mid-peripheral vision by age 51. Participants that took the lutein plus vitamin A saw that extended to age 61, a significant increase.

A number of studies have previously linked lutein to eye health and these findings further extend that research. Vitamin A, on the other hand, has been shown to have benefits that included skin health and keeping the cells in our body energized and active.

You can find Vitamin A (and lutein) in supplement form, and you can also get plenty of vitamin A through diet alone. Some of the top sources of vitamin A include:

• Beef liver

• Egg yolk

• Cheddar cheese

• Fortified milk

Evan Watson, NatureCity author & contributor

It has been known for nearly 100 years that vitamin A deficiency causes numerous diseases, but the reason for this was unknown. Researchers from the from the Institute for Cancer Research, New York may have finally solved this century old mystery.

Their findings were published in the March 2010 issue of the FASEB Journal.

The researchers found that vitamin A deficiency affects the synthesis of ATP in our cells. ATP is a nucleotide that is essential for proper function of mitochondria, the power-plant of our cells. Mitochondria take in nutrients, break them down and create energy for the cell.

The researchers found that vitamin A deficiency reduces energy production of mitochondria by 30%. To compensate for this reduction, the body turns to fat reserves in order to create energy through fat oxidation, which can have a weakening effect on the body.

Beyond keeping our cells energized and healthy, vitamin A is essential for avoiding numerous chronic diseases as well as for both skin and eye health.

Vitamin A can be found in supplement form, however you can get plenty of vitamin A through diet alone. Some of the top sources of vitamin A include:

Beef liver

Egg yolk

Cheddar cheese

Fortified milk