This was the headline in a recent Globe and Mail article referring to Christopher Reeve's widow Dana who died at the age of 44, having never smoked in her life. The question is how can this be and what then is the cause of lung cancer in this population that has never smoked?

More Canadians are diagnosed with lung cancer than any other kind of cancer, it is the most common cancer amongst women, in 2005, 22,200 Canadians were diagnosed with it causing 19,000 deaths. 1 in 12 Canadians will develop lung cancer in their lifetime. Of these 15% had never touched cigarettes in their life. Women are 1.5 times more likely than men to develop lung cancer, women who never smoked are more likely to develop lung cancer than men who never smoked and over the last 30 years lung cancer has increased in young women and has decreased in young men ages 20-44.

Fine articulate matter in air pollution generated by transportation, non industrial fuel combustion and industrial sources has been well researched to be the major causes of lung cancer. A friend of ours recently passed away and lately in the news this topic is resurfacing. It is obvious from my last two articles that the environment can play a huge part in etiology of all cancer types but what can we as humans do to protect ourselves as much as possible?

Over half of all cancers start in epithelial tissue which lines the organs, the digestive and reproductive tracts, mammary glands and skin. Vitamin A reduces the risk of cancers of the head and neck, lung, liver cancers, breast,  (in premenopausal women), ovary and bladder. Over 200 studies indicate a diet rich in Vitamin A significantly lowers the risk of cancer in general. Carotenes ingested as any orange or yellow or red colored vegetable are converted into Vitamin A in the body (that is if the thyroid is functioning  normally).

There has been negative research about using "beta carotene" in patients who have lung cancer already, but naturopathic physicians never recommend beta carotene alone, we always recommend organic mixed carotene complexes and we always recommend anti-oxidants in concert, never taken alone. This article is about preventing lung cancer through nutrition, not treating it.

Vitamin B6 decreases the risk of lung cancer. Selenium is a protective element in a cancer preventive diet and interventions with zinc have shown benefit in reducing risk of cancer incidence and mortality in all cancers combined including lung cancer. Consuming lycopene (the carotenoid antioxidant found in tomatoes) decreases the risk of lung cancer in non smoking men aged 40-70 and non-smoking women aged 30-55. Men who consume 10 or more cups of green tea per day have a 27% lower risk of developing lung cancer to those who consume smaller amounts. The omega 3 essential fats found in fish and flaxoils are important anti-inflammatory agents in the prevention of all cancer cell lines. Vitamin D is important in preventing lung cancer as well as improving outcomes of those with lung cancer.

Sure we shouldn't smoke, nor should we hang around second hand smoke, but there are other risks in our environment we have little control over, so take these precautions to heart.

• Eat 5 cups of red, orange, yellow and green vegetables per day including raw or cooked tomatoes. 
• Take 1 tbsp of vitamin D laden cod liver oil per day (this also acts as a natural blood thinner to reduce risk of heart disease and stroke). 
• Take a good B complex (and reduce your heart disease risk by 60%). Drink lots of green tea or take a pill if you don't like the taste of it (prevents prostate, breast, colorectal, bladder, esophageal and pancreatic cancers too!). 
• Take a little extra selenium and zinc and reduce your risk for prostate or breast cancer at the same time! 

You might be understanding now a little about naturopathic medicine, that when you take a nutrient you are not treating one aspect of your body, you are treating the whole body. There are many folks out there who have smoked well over 50 years and don't have lung cancer because they are taking these nutrients daily to prevent it. Lung cancer is the second leading cause of death in Canada, heart disease being the first. Don't you think you should be doing something about it?