Could This Simple Habit Actually Reduce Cancer and Diabetes by 50%?

by Dr Mercola

Vitamin D influences more than 200 genes. This includes genes related to cancer and autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis.
Vitamin D affects your DNA through the vitamin D receptors (VDRs), which bind to specific locations of the human genome.
Reuters reports:

“Vitamin D deficiency is a well-known risk factor for rickets, and some evidence suggests it may increase susceptibility to autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), rheumatoid arthritis and type 1 diabetes, as well as certain cancers and even dementia.”

Sources:

Reuters August 23, 2010

Genome Research August 23, 2010; [Epub ahead of print]

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Reuter’s information is actually a bit misleading as other scientists have identified a total of nearly 3,000 genes that are upregulated by vitamin D. The particular study referenced above identified 200 genes affected, but it’s not clear if that is in addition to the ones already identified, or if they simply confirmed many of the ones found by others.
One thing’s for sure: Vitamin D is one of the major keys for disease prevention and for optimal health.

The Areca Palm Plant

I was at the corner store tonight and mentioned my mission of finding house plants that were good air purifiers, particularly focusing on benzene, formaldehyde and trichloroethylene. These chemicals are found in most houses. The store owner, Mike, gave me a really good deal on a small Areca Palm plant.
The two chemicals I'm most concerned with are benzene and fromaldehyde. Here's some info on benzene. From Wikipedia:

Benzene exposure has serious health effects. Outdoor air may contain low levels of benzene from tobacco smoke, wood smoke, automobile service stations, the transfer of gasoline, exhaust from motor vehicles, and industrial emissions.^[30] Vapors from products that contain benzene, such as glues, paints, furniture wax, and detergents, can also be a source of exposure, although many of these have been modified or reformulated since the late 1970s to eliminate or reduce the benzene content. Air around hazardous waste sites or gas stations may contain higher levels of benzene.

From the CDC:

Indoor air generally contains levels of benzene higher than those in outdoor air. The benzene in indoor air comes from products that contain benzene such as glues, paints, furniture wax, and detergents.

According to the Web Ecoist, the top 10 house plants to have are:
1) the Areca Palm
2) the Lady Palm
3) the Bamboo Palm
4) the Rubber Plant (toxic)
5) the Dracanea
6) English Ivy (especially good for mold!)
7) Dwarf Date Palm
8) Ficus Alii
9) the Boston Fern
10) the Peace Lily

What do YOU use to keep your indoor air clean?