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- More Evidence That Calcium Reduces Colorectal Cancer Risk
A new study provides further evidence that calcium, from both dietary sources and supplements, can help reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in women—presumably by neutralizing highly irritating bile acids in the colon. The data, which were reported in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, come from more than 45,000 women enrolled in the Breast Cancer Detection Demonstration Project. During the study, the subjects were asked to complete a 62-item questionnaire about their food and supplement intake. The women were followed for an average of nine years, during which time 482 of them developed colorectal cancer.
The results showed that subjects who had higher intakes of calcium from either their diet or supplements had a 25% lower risk of colorectal cancer than those who consumed little calcium. Women who had higher intakes of calcium from both dietary sources and supplements had about a 45% reduction in risk of developing colorectal cancer. Dietary calcium reduced colorectal cancer risk starting at daily doses above 400 mg, while the cancer-reducing effects of supplemental calcium were not seen until daily doses exceeded 800 mg. It’s unclear why dietary calcium prevents colorectal cancer in lower doses than calcium supplements, but the discrepancy might be due to differences in how much calcium is absorbed from foods vs. supplements.
- Vitamin B6 Protects Against Colorectal Cancer in Women
If you consume two or more alcoholic drinks a week and are a woman, you might want to consider increasing the amount of vitamin B6 in your diet. That was the conclusion of a Swedish study that looked at how vitamin B6 and alcohol intake affect the risk of colorectal cancer. The study reported in the journal Gastroenterology included 61,433 women (age 40–76) who were followed for 15 years. During this time, 805 of them developed colorectal cancer.
Women who consumed the most vitamin B6 from foods (more than 2 mg a day) had a 34% lower risk of colorectal cancer than those who consumed the least. This protective effect of high vitamin B6 was strongest in women who drank two or more alcoholic drinks per week and had the most vitamin B6 in their diet—their risk of colorectal cancer decreased by 72%. Alcohol consumption (independent of the amount of vitamin B6 the women were consuming) had no effect on colorectal cancer risk.
Vitamin B6 plays a critical role in the synthesis and repair of DNA. Alcohol impairs the absorption of vitamin B6, which may cause disruptions in DNA synthesis and repair that could lead to colorectal cancer. Good dietary sources of vitamin B6 include fruits (such as bananas), vegetables (such as potatoes), fortified cereals, legumes, fish, chicken, and red meat.
For more Alerts and Special Reports, please visit the Colon Cancer Topic page.
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