Have you heard of inositol? The chances are slim, but more people should be talking about this natural compound found in nuts, beans and grains. Inositol is a member of the vitamin B family and is needed by the human body for proper cell functioning. While most people have not heard of inositol, it may be popping up a lot more in health articles in the future.

Studies have found that inositol is helpful for anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and panic attacks. It is also being studied to help treat infertility, balance and normalize insulin levels, and decrease cholesterol. A recent study is even finding it to be helpful in deterring lung cancer.

The lung-cancer study was held in Vancouver by Dr. Stephen Lam and his team at the B.C. Cancer Agency. The research was a preliminary study that involved ex-smokers; the ex-smokers were chosen because they had pre-cancerous changes in their bronchial tubes called severe dysplasia. The study found that within one to three months on 18 grams of inositol per day, the patients showed less pre-cancerous growths than before.

Clearly, this natural compound should be getting more media coverage. The positive effects of inositol are almost too numerous to list and during the lung cancer study the compound was found to cause very few side effects, even when administered in large doses.

The Vancouver researchers believe that inositol could very well help prevent lung cancer, and are planning to do more research to find out. They believe that their future studies will show that inositol can regress already existing pre-cancerous cells, which would be a huge step in helping to prevent cancer.

In the meantime, you can purchase inositol supplements online or in your local health food store, or eat plenty of beans, grains, and nuts to get the naturally occurring inositol that you need for proper cell functioning.