More than 4,000 women die every year of cervical cancer, the National Cancer Institute reports. Causes of cervical cancer are complex and multifaceted. However, like all cancers, the root cause of cervical cancer is out-of-control cellular reproduction. Along with a nutritious diet and visiting your physician regularly for a Pap exam, consider taking certain vitamins that may reduce your cervical cancer risk.
Folic Acid
The reproduction and multiplication of cells relies on the B vitamin folic acid, reports the University of Maryland Medical Center, or UMMC. Cervical cells reproduce more often than other areas of the body -- about every seven days -- and may require extra folic acids, according to James Meschino, D.C,, M,S., of Tides of Life. The use of oral contraceptives further increases the cell's folic acid demand, Meschino says. Adequate folic acid intake can help offset cervical dysplasia, a pre-cancerous condition in the cervix that often precedes cervical cancer, the UMMC reports. Unfortunately, only 20 percent of Americans get the 400mcg folic acid they need. You can get folic acid from fortified grains, green leafy veggies, or from a standard multivitamin supplement.
Vitamin A
Topically applying vitamin A to cervices suffering from cervical dysplasia can reverse the condition, Meschino reports. This treatment is still under investigation and is not available to the public. However, a diet rich in vitamin A may help prevent cervical cancer, although the link remains controversial and unproven, the UMMC adds. You should get vitamin A in the highly available beta-carotene form. Sources of beta-carotene include brightly colored vegetables such as carrots and supplements. If you smoke, taking beta-carotene supplements may increase your risk of lung cancer and should be avoided, according to the UMMC.
Lycopene
Lycopene is a potent antioxidant found in tomatoes and tomato products. Damage caused by free radicals -- renegade cells that damage DNA -- promotes cancerous cell formation. Antioxidants such as lycopene destroy free radicals and may reduce cervical cancer risk, the Mayo Clinic reports. A M Batieha of Johns Hopkins University looked at blood levels of lycopene in people with and without cervical cancer in a study published in the July 1993 issue of Cancer Epidemiology. Those with cervical cancer tended to have lower levels of lycopene in their body than cancer-free subjects. However, this was an observational study; no cause-and-effect link between lycopene intake and cervical cancer prevention has been established.
