Counting the Ways....Reminds me of the 3 criminal or idiotic

[Guest guest]

gastroenterologists I heard on a call in radio talk show a couple

years ago. All three of them said there is NOTHING a person can do to

try to lessen the odds of getting colon cancer except to get regular

colonoscopies. Each of them should have received a Preparation-H pie

in the face on their way out of the radio studio. By the way, has

anyone yet found out what happened to Preparations A through G?

 

, Frank

<califpacific> wrote:

>

>

> Thu, 24 Jun 2004 08:47:51 -0500

> HSI - Jenny Thompson

> Counting the Ways

>

> Counting the Ways

>

> Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

>

> June 24, 2004

>

> **************************************************************

>

> Dear Member,

>

> Longtime HSI members know which nutrients provide the most

> effective means to help prevent colon cancer; the second-

> leading cause of cancer deaths.

>

> In 2002 I told you how a daily folate supplement may

> significantly cut the risk of colon cancer for those who

> have a family history of the disease. And later that same

> year I examined a study that showed how a diet containing

> ample amounts of fruits and vegetables may be a key factor

> in preventing precancerous polyps from developing into

> cancer.

>

> I've also told you how calcium intake has been shown to help

> reduce the risk of developing colon polyps. Now a new

> calcium study is even more specific and more promising. The

> question is: Are you getting enough of this mineral - in the

> right forms - to provide adequate protection for yourself?

>

> -----------------------------

> Encouraging news

> -----------------------------

>

> In the most recent issue of the Journal of the National

> Cancer Institute, researchers from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock

> Medical Center in Lebanon, NH, published an analysis of data

> collected from 930 patients enrolled in the Calcium Polyp

> Prevention Study.

>

> All of the study subjects had been diagnosed with colorectal

> polyps. Divided into two groups, participants received

> either a 1,200 mg daily supplement of calcium carbonate, or

> a placebo. Two colonoscopies were conducted approximately

> one year and four years after each subject's initial exams.

>

> The researchers found that while calcium supplements may

> provide some protection against the development of polyps,

> the supplements proved most effective against advanced

> polyps. Subjects who received calcium supplements had

> generally fewer polyps compared to the placebo group. But as

> the lead author of the study, Dr. John A. Baron told Health

> Day News, calcium may help lower the risk of advanced polyps

> by as much as 45 percent.

>

> The subjects who experienced the greatest benefits were

> those who also had high intakes of calcium in their diets,

> as well as high fiber and low fat intakes (although these

> other dietary interactions were described as " not

> statistically significant " ).

>

> According to Dr. Baron, this study expands on what we

> already know about calcium's ability to prevent polyps with

> the encouraging news that calcium seems to also offer

> protection against polyps developing into cancer.

>

> -----------------------------

> A note on calcium

> -----------------------------

>

> As the Dartmouth-Hitchcock study suggests, one obvious way

> to support the effectiveness of calcium supplements is to

> make sure you include plenty of calcium-rich foods in your

> diet, such as salmon, cabbage, kale, and yellow, green, or

> waxed beans.

>

> As I mentioned above, the type of supplement used in the

> study was calcium carbonate. And as HSI Panelist Allan

> Spreen, M.D., told us in the e-Alert " Absorbing it All "

> (4/19/04), calcium carbonate is the most common, most

> readily available and least expensive type of calcium

> supplement. But the carbonate form does have two drawbacks:

> It's not as well absorbed as some other inorganic forms of

> calcium, and it binds the most acid.

>

> The latter problem presents both a potential plus, as well

> as a minus. Some scientists believe that calcium's ability

> to bind acids may be the very reason it protects against

> cancer. But binding digestive acids may also result in poor

> absorption of nutrients and indigestion. So if a 1,200 mg

> supplement of calcium is taken daily, along with good

> sources of calcium in the diet, keep an eye out for

> digestive problems that may be managed by adjusting the

> dosage of the supplement.

>

> In addition, Dr. Spreen notes that, " Calcium is not found in

> nature (in edible form) without magnesium, and they

> therefore should always be given together. "

>

> Foods that are high in magnesium include leafy green

> vegetables, whole grains, bananas, apricots, meat, beans,

> and nuts.

>

> -----------------------------

> Added prevention

> -----------------------------

>

> In the opening of this e-Alert I mentioned folate, which

> deserves a little elaboration.

>

> A 2002 study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers,

> and Prevention showed that those with a family history of

> colon cancer may cut their risk by as much as 50 percent

> with a supplement of 400 micrograms of folate daily. In

> addition to supplements, spinach and asparagus provide good

> sources of folate.

>

> And if you do decide to supplement with folate and calcium,

> consider taking one more important preventive step: Ask your

> doctor about arranging for a colonoscopy, which is

> recommended every three to five years for everyone over the

> age of 50; especially those with a family history of colon

> cancer.

>

> **************************************************************

> To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, visit:

> http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/freecopy.html

> Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to

> receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert.

>

> **************************************************************

>

> ... and another thing

>

> Call it " The D'oh! Factor. "

>

> In the e-Alert " The O Factor " (6/15/04), I told you about

> new research that found an increased risk of hip fractures

> in older people with elevated homocysteine levels.

>

> But I was off the mark when I shared a supplement

> recommendation from HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D. To

> address high homocysteine, I told you that Dr. Spreen

> suggests taking 1.6 grams of folate daily. That should have

> been 1.6 MILLIGRAMS (mg) per day.

>

> 1.6 grams would be overdoing it a bit.

>

> As Dr. Spreen pointed out in a follow up e-mail, " Getting

> your hands on 1.6 grams would involve almost 2,000 pills (in

> the U.S.). "

>

> In the e-Alert " The B List " (2/2/04), Dr. Spreen noted that

> a daily folate dose of 5 mg would probably be best for those

> who use the supplement to address cardiovascular problems.

> And because folate can mask a deficiency of vitamin B-12, a

> daily supplement of B-12 is also recommended - especially

> when taking a higher dose of folate.

>

> So because of the B-12 issue - and because folate is so

> important for heart health - I thought it best to let you

> know that you needn't take 2,000 pills each day. Hopefully

> you haven't tried to.

>

> To Your Good Health,

>

> Jenny Thompson

> Health Sciences Institute

>

> **************************************************************

> To start receiving your own copy of the HSI e-Alert, visit:

> http://www.hsibaltimore.com/ealert/freecopya.html

> Or forward this e-mail to a friend so they can sign-up to

> receive their own copy of the HSI e-Alert.

>

> **************************************************************

>

> Sources:

> " Effect of Calcium Supplementation on the Risk of Large

> Bowel Polyps " Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol.

> 96, No. 12, 6/16/04

> " Calcium Curbs Risk of Colon Polyps " Megan Rauscher, Reuters

> Health, 6/15/04, reutershealth.com

> " Calcium Seems to Protect Against Colorectal Cancer "

> Kathleen Doheny, Health Day News, 6/15/04, medicinenet.com

>

>

>

>

>