What if someone discovered a new drug that could slash your odds of colon cancer by 1/3 to .5 preventing 50,ooo colon cancers a Year?

   Furthermore, suppose that the drug was utterly safe and incredibly cheap? Wouldn't it be acclaimed one of the miracle drugs of the Century? Well the fiber in food has the astonishing potential to prevent colon cancer on such a grand scale, according to a group of Cancer experts writing in the journal of the National Cancer Institute. The dose of fiber needed to accomplish this massive lifesaving feat is very slight. According to senior Geffre R. Howe, PhD., of the University of Toronto, if Americans ate an additional 13 grams of food fiber a day (about the amount in a bowl of extra-high-fiber wheat cereal), colon cancer rate in the U.S. would drop 31% and that would mean 50,000 fewer diagnosed cases of colorectal cancer a year. He and colleagues based the prediction on a new analysis of thirteen studies of colon cancer and diet. To slash the tool by 50K cases annually, the experts figure most Americans would have to up their fiber intake about 70% . You get fiber in Cereal, Fruits, Vegetables, Legumes, and Nuts.

   All such foods also contain a plethora of natural anticancer chemicals, in addition to fiber per se.

 Although studies consistently show that fiber-rich foods in general ward off colon cancer, some specific foods have shown outstanding powers. Wheat bran has the best-documented reputation as a formidable colon cancer fighter.

THE AMAZING POWER IN ALL-BRAN

    If U do nothing else to protect yourself against colon cancer, eat wheat cereal. That breakthrough advice first came from a study by Jerome J. DeCoss, M.D., A surgeon at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in N.Y. Dr. DeCoss chose 58 patients who had an inherited "familial" tendency to develop polyps, and a cup of high fiber All-Bran cereal, caused the pre-malignant polyps to shrink, thus halting their inevitable march toward cancer. For 4 years the patients ate either All-Bran or a look-alike low-fiber cereal. No one, including Doctors, knew who was eating what. The All-Bran group ate a total of 22 grams of fiber a day; the others, 12 grams,

Typical for Americans. Periodically, the patients' colons were examined by endoscopies to measure changes in the growth of the polyps.

    After the code was broken, Dr. DeCosse discovered that the polyps in the All-Bran eaters had begun to decrease distinctly in size and number within 6 months!!!! The polyps continued to shrink for the next 3 years.

Most remarkable is that such a small amount of food have such an impact within such a short time on a major killer -thus illustrating that dietary intervention can work at fairly late stages after precancerous warning signs have appeared. If the findings apply across the board to others with polyps, it means anyone diagnosed with colon polyps should run for a cereal box. There may still be much time to head off malignancy. Usually, it takes about 10 years for polyps to grow into malignant tumors.

"Only wheat bran, not oat bran, has been found to have some protective effect in cancer"

Bandaru S. Reddy, American Health Foundation.

 REACH FOR THE CEREAL AFTER CANCER SURGERY

 Suppose colon cancer develops and the tumor is then excised. Astonishing, as it seems, eating wheat bran can even act as a drug following cancer surgery to block the return of the cancer, suggests research by David S. Alberts M.D. at the Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson. He documented that after malignant Tumors were Surgically removed, All-Bran cereal curbed cell changes that would stimulate a recurrence of colon and rectal tumors.

For two months seventeen men and women who had undergone surgery for colon or rectal cancer each ate about 1/2 cup of All-Bran (13.5 grams of fiber) per day. Researchers then measured the rate of proliferation of rectal surface cells, which they say is a good sign of whether cancer is likely to recur or even to develop in the first place. Those most in danger, R the ones with a baseline rapid react of cell Proliferation; all-bran dramatically suppressed the cell-growth rates in half of the patients. Once again, researchers noted how quickly- in a mere sixty days- high-fiber wheat cereal acted to curtail "whatever stimulates cancer in the colon," as Dr. Alberts puts it.

 ONLY WHEAT BRAN WORKS

 Don't accept substitutes. Nobody really knows why wheat bran works. But they do know that the magic ingredient does not seem to be present in all cereals. In a study by the American Health Foundation, researchers took seventy-five women that ate two or three muffins a day made from wheat, Oats or corn for a total of 30 daily grams of fiber for 8 weeks, Only the wheat bran squelched cancer-promoting changes in the colon. Presumably, wheat contains a type of biologically active fiber and/or other constituents that specifically engage and conquer colon cancer promoters. One clue is that wheat bran, but not oat bran, reduces the concentration of bile acids and bacterial enzymes in the stool that are believed to promote colon cancer. Some think wheat's main anticancer agent is phytate, which does block colon cancer in animals. Dr. DeCosse thinks perhaps pentose, a sugar in wheat, is an active polyp inhibitor.

BOTTOM LINE:

Eating too little fiber triples your prospects of polyps. In a large Harvard study, men who ate the most fiber, more than 28 Grams a day, had only one-third the rate of polyps of men who ate the least fiber, or 17 grams a Day. The prospective dose is the least fiber in one cup of high- fiber all-bran, Fiber One or 100% Bran cereals. Check the label to be sure.

EATING SEAFOOD, STOPS POLYPS

   One of the quickest ways to stop the growth of polyps, and thus curtail cancer, is to eat lots of fatty fish. So suggests the remarkable results of an Italian study from the Catholic University of Rome. Researchers discovered that patients with polyps who ate fish oil exhibited a suppression of precancerous colonic cell growth in just two weeks!! It's exciting new evidence of fish oil's ability to interfere with the cancer process in an incredibly short time," said Harvard's George Blackburn. In the study, men with polyps ate either daily doses of fish oil or a dummy capsule for three months. In 90 % of the fish oil group, cell proliferation, a sign of colon cancer activity, dropped an average 62 %. The abnormal cell growth came to a complete halt in one patient. Further, the researchers detected the slowdown in cell growth within two weeks. The fish oil doses were fairly high - equal to eating about eight ounces of mackerel a day. However, Dr. Blackburn says that such “fish oil loading" is necessary at first to correct a longtime deficit in the oils. After that, lower amounts are probably enough to keep the cells from going haywire. That's why some authorities think regularly eating small amounts of fish over many years prevents polyps and colon from ever erupting.

Try Folic Acid

Dried beans, green leafy vegetables, oranges, & what might sound strange is the white part located on the orange peel is rich in Folic acid “I distinctly remember reading that somewhere”. Recent Louisiana State University research showed that getting 250 micrograms of folic acid daily slashed colon cancer by 60 % in men. In a Harvard study, women who took multivitamins containing folic acid for 15 years cut colon cancer risk by 75%, Probable reason; Folic acid blocks DNA damage that leads to cancer.

WHAT NOT TO EAT IF POLYPS ARE PRESENT

If you have colon polyps, colon cancer, a family history of colon cancer, or any concern about colon cancer, severely restrict red meat, especially when fried or well-done, red meat instigates colon cancer, experts say. 1 reason: High – Heat cooking spurs the formation of carcinogens called heterocyclic amines (HCAs). In a research at the University of South California, colon cancer risk tripled in people who ate red meat well – done & doubled in those who often fried, grilled or broiled it (burned). Most dangerous for colon cancer: bacon, ham & other meats cured with nitrates. Animal fat; they are energetic promoters of colon cancer, according to STRONG evidence. Around the world, people who eat more fat, namely animal fat, have much more colon cancer, Study shows. Eating lots of saturated fat also doubles your chances of precancerous polyps, according to Edward Giovannucci and colleagues at Harvard. In their study of 7,248 men, those who ate the least saturated fat (7 % of calories in animal fat) had 1/2 the rate of precancerous polyps compared with men who ate twice that much (14 % of calories in saturated fat) Skimping on fiber also boosted polyp formation, leading researchers to conclude that fat interacts with other food substances, including fiber, in determining whether colon cancer occurs.

HOW FAT PROMOTES CANCER

Eating lots of fat, one theory goes, prompts microorganisms in the colon to make more bile acid, a cancer promoter. According to cancer researcher Dr. Michael J. Wargovich, "We think these products of dietary fat digestion wound the colon". Cells then start proliferating in attempts to heal the colon wall, but if you eat too much fat, the process gets out of hand and "may go on continuously in the colon", he explains. Such rapid, excessive cell proliferation may eventually stimulate growth of colon polyps and possibly malignant tumors. Dr. Wargovich also theorizes that calcium, fiber and perhaps other food constituents neutralize carcinogenic fat by binding to the bile acids so they cannot injure the colon, setting the cancer process in motion.

efOlive Oil ef

Although fat is a suspected colon cancer villain, a new British study of diet & cancer in 28 countries, including the USA, concludes that consumers of olive oil (don’t overdo it) have a lower rate of colon cancer. That jibes with animal research showing olive oil suppresses colon tumor growth. Corn oil & animal fat increases colon cancer in animals; fish oil doesn’t. Also harmful: trans fatty acids (the partially hydrogenated fats in some margarine baked goods & processed foods). University of Utah researchers reported that a diet high in trans fats doubled older women’s risk of colon cancer.

hCurb bad carbohydrates.h

Surprising new research suggests foods that drive up blood sugar & trigger release of insulin (“high glycemic index” foods) may stimulate colon cancer, such as Sugar, Flour, White Rice, Potatoes & Processed Cereals. In a recent Italian study, eating foods with the highest glycemic index, raised colon cancer risk by 70 %.

FOOD - ASPRIN ANTIDOTES?

Don't neglect fruit. Fruit may contribute more than its fiber in staving off colon cancer, so goes an intriguing new theory. There's “a new kid on the block in colon cancer prevention," as the CDC's Tim Byers puts it. It's aspirin.

A major study has found that taking aspirin daily cut the risk of colon cancer dramatically. That brings up the question: What about natural aspirin in foods' so-called salicylates? Many foods contain them. Might eating high-salicylate foods also help curb colon cancer? Dr. Byers thinks it's a possibility. "At least it's a whole new line of inquiry, to be pursued"', he says. Foods highest in Natural salicylates are fruits such as apples, dates, and berries

THE DRINKER'S COLON CANCER

Beware of excessive drinking. The sobering news is that heavy drinking may double or triple your chances of colorectal cancer, and generally, the more alcohol you consume, the likely the malignancy, so concluded Australian researchers who reviewed 52 human studies on the subject. They identified beer as by far the principal villain. Alcoholic spirits were much less dangerous and the least hazardous, was wine. They also blamed drinking for promoting colon polyps. How alcohol promotes colon cancer is unclear. The researchers speculated that a steady intake of alcoholic beverages may chronically suppress immune functioning, making the body less able to combat the cancer process, and some Beverages, notably beer, may contain carcinogens such as nitrosamines. Alcohol poses a particularly formidable threat in cancer of the sigmoid colon, the S - Shaped part of the colon that lies in the pelvis. According to a 17-year study of 26,118 Japanese over age 40, drinkers were 4 times more apt to have sigmoid colon cancer than nondrinkers. Again most incriminated was beer.

Actually, fiber delivers several important health Benefits: First fiber retains water, resulting in softer and bulkier stools that prevents constipation and hemorrhoids. A high fiber diet helps reduce the risk of colon cancer, probably by speeding the rate at which stool passes through the intestine and by keeping the digestive tract clean. Fiber binds with certain substances that would normally result in the production of cholesterol.

 Your digestive & bowel health is very important: Your digestive system is responsible for delivering critically important vitamins & nutrition into your system. If Ur system doesn’t work properly then Ur organs, blood, cells, nerves, & muscles are not receiving 100% of nutrition they need. Poor digestion does not end with gas or bloating. It can contribute to serious illness. (We R only as healthy as our ability to absorb the nutrients from our food.)

 These terrible digestive problems R something that can be corrected. Read the Vitamin article, there are Probiotics that may help the situation for protecting you Ur colon.

  The American diet, along with common over- the counter drugs, including laxatives, seriously weaken Ur colon muscles to “relax” & work less, this may lead to additional problems (teaching Ur body not to function).

Your system comes to depend on antacids it becomes lazy, and doesn't function normally. This becomes a disaster. Popular digestive remedies have truly shocking disadvantages:

1)     They suppress pepsin, a stomach acid vital to digest protein.

2)     Many of the products contain Aluminum (see article)

3)     Some contain calcium carbonate. Excessive use of this can lead to kidney stones & constipation.

4)     Changes the pH environment in the digestive system.

5)     May set the stage for infection with Helicobacter Pylori, the bacterium that causes ulcers.

The American diet, along with common over- the counter drugs, including laxatives, seriously weaken Ur colon muscles to “relax” & work less, this may lead to additional problems (teaching Ur body not to function).

“Parasites r more common than U might think, the reality is that most of us are infected!

Source of reference: My notes, USA weekend, other Health Magazines,

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