NEW YORK (Cancer Online) - Researchers at Dartmouth Medical School in Lebanon, NH have reported that ingestion of more than 1,200mg of calcium per day may decrease the risk of colon polyps.
In the article published in the July issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Kristin Wallace, MS, analyzed data from 913 patients who had a history of polyp removal and participated in the Calcium Polyp Prevention Study for a period of at least 4 years. Each participant was screened with a colonoscopy prior to beginning the study to ensure that polyps were not present. For a period of four years, participants were given either 1,200mg of a calcium supplement or a placebo, and asked to document their diet with respect to calcium, fat, and fiber. At the end of the study, Wallace and colleagues noted that the participants who consumed the calcium supplement exhibited an 18% decrease in noncancerous polyps and a 35% decrease in advanced polyps relative to the placebo volunteers.
Furthermore, although a conclusion could not be made, Wallace also reported that the participants with the fewest number of polyps recorded a diet that was high in calcium, high in fiber, and low in fat. Arthur Schatzkin, Ph.D., of the National Cancer Institute believes that although Wallace¡¯s findings are similar to other studies, they do not yet provide substantial evidence to associate calcium, polyps, and colon cancer.
In the report Wallace offers the possibility that calcium may be able to bind carnicogenic compounds in the bowel and protect the colon. Future studies are in progress to determine whether calcium may be considered a preventive measure against colon cancer.
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