Dietary Supplements that Reduce Cancer Risk?
Many of us have either lost a family member, loved one, or friend to cancer. A diagnosis of cancer can be tremendously stressful for not only the individual who is diagnosed, but for their entire support system. One of the first things that we can all do to reduce our risk of cancer is to try to live a healthy lifestyle which includes: eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, quitting smoking, and decreasing alcohol consumption.
For those of us who have a family history of cancer, the next best thing to prevention is early diagnosis and appropriate treatment which requires regular doctor’s visits and appropriate screening tests such as PSA levels, mammography, and chest X-rays, among others.
For those interested in dietary measures that may help to reduce the risk of certain types of cancers, I will post the results of a Cochrane systematic review on dietary calcium supplementation as well as links to prior blog posts on other dietary foods and supplements.
Calcium Supplements and Colorectal Cancer Risk:
The results of this systematic review suggest that dietary supplementation of 1200 mg of calcium for a period of four years may contribute to a moderate reduction in the risk of colorectal adeonmatous polyps.
“AUTHORS’ CONCLUSIONS: Although the evidence from two RCTs suggests that calcium supplementation might contribute to a moderate degree to the prevention of colorectal adenomatous polyps, this does not constitute sufficient evidence to recommend the general use of calcium supplements to prevent colorectal cancer.”
Foods that may Reduce Cancer Risk:
Vitamins and Minerals that may Reduce the Risk of Cancer:
Reference:
- Weingarten MA, Zalmanovici A, Yaphe J. Dietary calcium supplementation for preventing colorectal cancer and adenomatous polyps. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2008 Jan 23;(1):CD003548.
Jarret Morrow
May 31, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Meso, yup please see above. Sharla, thank you for that insightful question. Here’s a link on Resveratrol which you might find interesting:
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=84238-resveratrol-red-wine-cancer
Sharla Erlandson
May 27, 2008 at 2:42 am
I’m lovin your site so far. After I get my site fully set up, I may even add a link here. I want to read more of what you have. I love researching. Hey, about the smoothies…adding a few home grown stevia leaves is yummy too. I just bought mine at Lowes garden a few weeks ago and they are yummy.
I’ve been researching about enzymes and cancer. Is it true that some cancer is surrounded by a protein that protects it and that certain powerful enzymes can be taken to break down those proteins so that heavy doses of antioxidants can go in and attack the cancer? That was a long and specific question but I’m curious to have more thought on the subject. I believe that the above action along side medical attention can prove to be beneficial, if not very important to those with cancer.
Jarret Morrow
May 27, 2008 at 1:22 am
Ob2ath, I have to admit that you’ve got an excellent point there–I absolutely love blueberry smoothies! I personally like to mix: fresh blueberries, frozen berries, 1 scoup of protein powder, some ice, yogurt, and maybe a little bit of honey to make it taste better. What’s your recipe?
Jarret Morrow
May 26, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Neil, you’re entirely correct and I agree with you. I am not suggesting that supplements can actually cure cancer or should be used for cancer treatment. In fact, I would suggest that anyone who is diagnosed with cancer should certainly seek appropriate medical care and the advice of their physician. However, what this article is about recent research that suggests that some foods and dietary supplements may reduce our risk of actually developing certain types of cancer.
ob2ath
May 27, 2008 at 1:16 am
Very good blog. I to believe eating certain foods does contribute to lower cancer risks, particularly foods rich in antioxidants, which can neutralize gene-damaging free radicals. Nothing hits the spot like a blueberry smoothie after a hard workout!