Quercetin shown to help protect against colon cancer by reducing inflammation

In research published in the January, 2009 issue of the Journal of Nutrition, scientists at Texas A & M University report their finding of a mechanism for quercetin against the development of colon cancer colon cancer. Quercetin is a molecule found in plant foods such as onions, apples and peppers which has previously shown a protective effect against the disease.

For their research, Texas AgriLife Research scientist Dr Nancy Turner and her colleagues gave 40 rats diets supplemented with or without quercetin. During the second and fourth weeks of the experiment, the animals were injected with azoxymethane, a carcinogen used to induce colon cancer in rodents, or with saline as a control. Four weeks following the last injection, the rats’ colons were examined.

Animals that received quercetin had fewer high multiplicity aberrant crypt foci, a marker or predictor of tumor formation that had previously been shown to be reduced by quercetin. "Early lesions in a colon are some of the first true changes in the colon that can be observed visually," Dr Turner remarked. "This is not just something you see in our animal model. You see it in human patients as well." Continue Reading

Magnesium and calcium both needed for colorectal cancer protection

In a presentation at the American Association for Cancer Research's Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, held November 16-18, 2008 in National Harbor, Maryland, Qi Dai, MD, PhD reported that it may be necessary to have a greater intake of magnesium in order for calcium to protect against colorectal cancer.

While increased magnesium intake has been associated with a reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer, Americans have a similar intake of the mineral as East Asians yet have a much higher incidence of the disease. However, the risk of colorectal cancer increases when East Asians immigrate to the United States.Calcium has also been shown to help inhibit colorectal cancer, although high levels of the mineral may reduce the absorption of magnesium. Referring to the fact that Americans have a higher intake of calcium than East Asians as well as a greater incidence of colorectal cancer, Dr Dai remarked, "If calcium levels were involved alone, you'd expect the opposite direction. There may be something about these two factors combined – the ratio of one to the other – that might be at play.” Continue Reading

Lifestyle improvements enhance telomerase activity

An article appearing online on September 16, 2008 in The Lancet Oncology reports a pilot study conducted by Dean Ornish, MD and colleagues which found that adopting positive lifestyle changes increases the activity of telomerase, the enzyme responsible for maintaining telomeres. Telomeres are DNA-protein complexes that cap the ends of chromosomes, aiding in their stabilization.

Telomere length is associated with cellular age, and adequate telomere length is vital to maintaining cells, including immune system cells which protect the body against a number of diseases, such as cancer. Longer telomere length has been associated with increased resistance to disease and premature death in prostate, breast, lung and colorectal cancer.

The current study involved 24 patients with low-risk prostate cancer. Dr Ornish, of the Preventive Medicine Research Institute in Sausalito, and his associates at the University of California, San Francisco, conducted a three day intensive residential retreat followed by a three month comprehensive lifestyle modification program.

Participants were asked to adopt diets that limited fat to 10 percent of their calorie intake, and which contained a low amount of refined carbohydrates, abundant amounts of whole grains, fruit and vegetables, and supplemental soy protein powder, fish oil, vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin C. The subjects were also asked to engage in moderate aerobic exercise for one half hour per day and one hour stress management periods for six days per week, in addition to a one hour weekly group support session. Blood samples were analyzed for telomerase activity and other factors, and psychological distress was evaluated at the beginning of the study and at the end of the three month treatment period. Continue Reading