High-carb diets may increase cancer risk

USA Today ^ | February 4, 2004 | Liz Szabo

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Diets filled with certain high-carbohydrate foods may increase the risk of colorectal cancer in women, according to a study published today in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Cakes, cookies and other quickly digested foods score high on the "glycemic index," a measure of the rate at which carbohydrates are processed into sugar.

[xJones]

Thank you, and a ping for Carlo.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Hopkins scientists link protein to colon cancer*** But Erlinger's study is the first to link cancer with CRP. Discovered in 1929, the protein is known to be involved in the body's inflammatory response. Over the past several years, CRP has become a hot research topic: High levels of the protein have been linked to a range of ailments, including heart attacks, stroke and diabetes.

Produced primarily by the liver, CRP plays a role in triggering inflammation. It rises significantly in response to acute injury or illness, as the body uses inflammation to fight off infections and other threats. When attacked by a flu virus, for example, the body's immune system often responds with a generalized inflammation -- fever -- to battle microbes. During and right after a flu, CRP levels increase.

But in recent years, researchers have realized that many chronic conditions also boost CRP levels -- often before other symptoms appear. Much of this research has involved heart disease. Ridker and others have shown conclusively that increased CRP levels can predict heart attacks and strokes.

Last year, the American Heart Association and the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that patients at moderate or high risk for heart disease should have their CRP levels tested. Ridker argues that such tests are so useful that they should be used more widely. In 2002, for example, German researchers found increased CRP levels among subjects who developed Alzheimer's. Blood samples in that study were taken decades before subjects showed overt symptoms. Last year, scientists at Yale and Emory universities reported a connection between depression and elevated CRP. ***

[carlo3b]

This is a clincher if this study comes even close.. Geeeze.. I'll wait to see if there are any more research that gets deeper into this.. I can't say that I am surprised..

[jennyp]

At first I thought your "Hopkins scientists link protein to colon cancer" article was referring to protein in the diet. But it's not. Whew!