Health
Calcium plays role in reducing risk of colorectal polyps
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted June 28, 2004
Taking calcium supplements is associated with a decreased risk of advanced colon polyps, according to a new study published in the June 16 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Although high calcium intake has been shown to inhibit colon cancer in animal experiments, these effects have not been seen consistently in human studies. The new study by Kristin Wallace and John A. Baron, MD, of the Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, N.H., and colleagues found that supplemental calcium slightly decreased the risk of all types of colorectal polyps. The effect was greatest for the advanced lesions that are believed most strongly related to invasive colorectal cancer.
Total calcium intakes above 1,200 mg a day accompanied by high dietary fiber and low dietary fat were thought to be key to optimizing the anticancer effect, according to the study.
An editorial in the same issue notes that while the new study does not yet prove that a causal relationship exists between calcium intake and colorectal cancer, the case has almost been proven that calcium can alter the occurrence of colorectal cancer.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2004/06/28/hlbf0628.htm.
