Posted on 04/14/2008 5:29:09 PM PDT by blam
Vitamin D And Calcium Influence Cell Death In The Colon, Researchers Find
ScienceDaily (Apr. 14, 2008) — Researchers at Emory University are learning how vitamins and minerals in the diet can stimulate or prevent the appearance of colon cancer.
Emory investigators will present their findings on biological markers that could influence colon cancer risk in three abstracts at the American Association for Cancer Research meeting in San Diego.
In a clinical study of 92 patients, supplementing diet with calcium and vitamin D appeared to increase the levels of a protein called Bax that controls programmed cell death in the colon. More Bax might be pushing pre-cancerous cells into programmed cell death, says Emory researcher Veronika Fedirko, who will present her team's results.
Previous studies have shown that calcium and vitamin D tend to reduce colon cancer risk.
"We were pleased that the effects of calcium and vitamin D were visible enough in this small study to be significant and reportable," Fedirko says. "We will have to fully evaluate each marker's strength as we accumulate more data."
The studies of colorectal biopsy samples are part of a larger effort to identify a portfolio of measurements that together can gauge someone's risk of getting colon cancer, says Roberd Bostick, MD, MPH, professor of epidemiology at Emory's Rollins School of Public Health.
"We want to have the equivalent of measuring cholesterol or high blood pressure, but for colon cancer instead of heart disease," Bostick says. "These measurements will describe the climate of risk in the colon rather than spotting individual tumors or cells that may become tumors."
Bostick has plans for developing non-invasive blood or urine tests for colon cancer risk.
Bostick and his colleagues demonstrates in a 200-patient case-control study that high levels of calcium and vitamin D together are associated with increased levels of E-cadherin, which moderates colon cells' movement and proliferation.
A third abstract on the same case-control study to be presented at the same meeting, shows that high levels of iron in the diet are linked to low levels of APC, a protein whose absence in colon cancer cells leads to their runaway growth.
Bostick and his colleagues are participating in a ten-year multi-center study of the effects of increased vitamin D and calcium and biomarker-guided treatment of colon cancer recurrence. The study involves almost 2,500 people nationwide who have regular colonoscopies.
The Bostick team's research is funded by the National Cancer Institute and the Wilson and Anne Franklin Foundation.
Adapted from materials provided by Emory University, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.
I wonder how northern climates compare to southern ones in the colon cancer occurence rates?
That’s good to hear. I take calcium citrate with vitamin D for other reasons. A bit of vitamin D helps the body absorb the calcium.
ping
I feel much better about my milk moustache now.
excellent question. although the mediterranean diet is good for the heart with wine, etc. now it appears it isn’t good for the colon or for breast tissue. the same calories taken from high calorie and dairy products will not put weight on you the same way that high calories from simple sugars. that’s why weigh watchers makes you eat a dairy every day. it fills you up, and it doesn’t turn to fat, nor does it trigger colon cancer apparently.
I’ve been here since about April 1998, and this is a first. I don’t believe I have ever seen a Freeper say, “My colon is in fine shape.”
Cheers!
Cheers!
Thanks, good timing!
BTTT!
But . . . .but . . . . hovering on doug from upland pops up "Since 1997-12-04"
Duh, that’s right. It was April 1997. When JimRob changed a server, everyone who was before Dec. 1997 showed up as joining in Dec. 1997. Okay, then, I haven’t seen someone brag about his colon since joining in 1997. :)
Interesting - my grandmother died of colon cancer. I take Vitamin D religiously after reading it could cut the chances of pancreatic cancer which my mom died of last year.
In early Feb 1998, I reported on going to DC for the weekend trying to serve an eviction notice on the Clintons.
And sometime I'll look for your report on the eviction attempt.
I’ve searched for the eviction report. It’s long gone.
"I take Vitamin D religiously......."
I'm interested in upping my intake of vitamin D. May I ask, how much do you take daily?
400IU in tablet form - I get more from milk and other foods.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.