Researchers have
determined from
several studies
that beta
carotene can
significantly
improve
clinically
important immune
responses when
supplementation
of higher than
RDA amounts were
consumed in
healthy human
beings.
1
Beta carotene,
the most
efficient
precursor (a
substance from
which another
substance is
formed)
for
vitamin A,
has long been
known to be an
immune booster,
and documented
recent studies
support these
claims.
Researchers
Kelley and
Bendich say
that, "Beta
carotene
supplementation
appears to be
beneficial for
individuals with
compromised
immune systems,
and does not overstimulate
the immune
responses of
healthy adults."1,
2
The elderly can
also greatly
benefit from
additional
Beta carotene,
especially for their
immune system.
According to
Richard Passwater,
Ph.D., in his
book, Beta
Carotene and
Other
Carotenoids,
beta carotene
supplementation
has been shown
to enhance some,
but not all,
aspects of
cell-mediated
immunity in
healthy older
men.2, 3
As written in the November
1996 issue of f
The American
Journal of
Clinical
Nutrition,
Michelle Santos,
et al,
notes that beta
carotene may
also
increase the
activity of
natural killer
cells. This is
very important
because it has
been
hypothesized
that
natural killer (NK)
cell activity
has
an immunologic
link between
beta carotene
and cancer
prevention. The
article states
that, "Our
results show
that long-term
beta carotene
supplementation
enhances NK cell
activity in
elderly men,
which may be
beneficial for
viral and
tumoral
surveillance."2,
4
How does this
work?
Evidently,
beta carotene
stimulates a
molecule that
helps the immune
system target
and destroy
cancer cells. It
increases the
number of
receptors on
white blood
cells for a
molecule that is
known as "major
histocompatibility
complex II"
(shortened to
the acronym MHC
II). MHC II
plays a critical
role in helping
monocytes, a
type of white
blood cell, to
point the killer
T cells to
cancerous cells
(as documented
in Cancer
Weekly Pluss,
Jan 6, 1997
issue). What
this means is
that beta
carotene plays a
critical role in
telling the
immune system to
kill cancer
cells.2
Products such as
A-Z Immune
Booster
contain not only
clinical
supplemental
amounts of
Beta-Carotene,
it contains
other important
immune system
boosters such as
zinc, blueberry
powder,
elderberry
extract, and
honeysuckle.
These all work
together to
create a
powerful
combination to
help the immune
system perform
at its very
best!
References::
1. Kelley, Bendich, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition
2.
http:////www.aimthisway.com
3. R.
Passwater,
Ph.D., Beta
Carotene and
Other
Carotenoids
4. M. Santos, et al, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition,
Nov 1996
