Calcium Does Your Colon Good
Adding calcium to your diet may help
prevent tumors in
the large intestine, report researchers from
the
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, New
Hampshire, and
other centers. The researchers looked at
832 people who had undergone
surgery for benign
colorectal tumors. About half of the subjects were
given
calcium supplements and the other half placebos. Two to
four
years later -- the main risk period for tumor
recurrence -- 127 of the
409 people taking calcium had
developed tumors, compared with 159 of the
423 patients
taking placebos. And the tumors in the placebo group
were
larger. (Source: British Medical Journal, January
1999)
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of death
from
cancer in the United States. The American Cancer
Society recommends that
adults over 40 have an annual
digital rectal exam. Those over 50 should
have a blood-
stool test each year and a sigmoidoscopy about
every
three to five years.
