You can’t argue at this point in your life that you’re just “middle-aged” anymore…

You start getting mail offers from AARP to join up…

And your doctor starts bugging you about getting a colonoscopy.

Of course, the age of the dreaded procedure has dropped as the rates of colorectal cancer in younger people have started to climb. Now, experts advise that regular screening should begin at age 45.

But if your time has come, or maybe come and gone because you’ve put it off, you may be looking for some guidance before you jump up on that table and allow a camera on a flexible tube to pass up your rectum.

You’re not alone, especially after the controversial results of a significant study appear to indicate the screening procedure fails to lower colorectal cancer risks or prevent cancer deaths.

A worthless screening tool?

The results of the Northern-European Initiative on Colorectal Cancer trial (NordICC), an “intention-to-screen analysis,” were recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

The study involved 84,585 healthy men and women (aged 55 to 64) drawn from population registries in Poland, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands between 2009 and 2014. The participants were randomly assigned in a 1:2 ratio to either receive an invitation to undergo a single screening colonoscopy (the invited group) or to receive no invitation or screening (the usual-care group). 

The participants were followed for 10 years while researchers measured two primary outcomes: the risks of colorectal cancer and related death, as well as death from any cause.

And the findings were not what they expected…

Offering the screening procedure did not significantly reduce cancer deaths over 10 years.

In fact, cancer cases were only reduced by 18% in the group invited to have a colonoscopy, compared to the group that wasn’t invited to get a screening.

According to Jason A. Dominitz, MD, of the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, and Douglas J. Robertson, MD, of the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth in Hanover, New Hampshire, who wrote an editorial that accompanied the research, “The relatively small reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer and the nonsignificant reduction in the risk of death are both surprising and disappointing.”

Bear in mind that the American Cancer Society estimates the number of new colorectal cases for 2022 at 151,030.

Why the less-than-stellar results?

The colonoscopy procedure has remained largely unchanged since its creation and introduction in 1969, when it was hailed as a life-saving resource that could one day make colorectal cancer extinct.

So why the disappointing findings from the large NordICC trial?

A “screening can only be effective if it is performed,” the writers of the editorial point out.

See, in the group that was invited to undergo colonoscopy screenings, less than half of the participants (42%) actually went through with the procedure.

Per an adjusted analysis, the researchers found that if every participant had a colonoscopy, the incidence of colorectal cancer would have been reduced by 31% and the risk of related cancer death by 50%.

But even though a 31% reduction in the adjusted analysis was “a clinically relevant benefit,” it was still lower than what is anticipated in clinical guidelines based on observational and modeling studies.

Previous research has put reduced incidence and death from colon cancer as high as 70%.

What is the difference between those studies and the NordICC? It may be a “real-world” statement on how useful colonoscopy actually is.

However, with increased levels of participation in screening and with high-quality examinations, higher reductions in the incidence of colorectal cancer and related death would be expected — even if the percentages may not be as high in reality as previously thought. 

If you’d like to know more about colonoscopy and choices that are less invasive, download our free report — Before you say ‘yes’ to a colonoscopy!

Sources:

Effect of Colonoscopy Screening on Risks of Colorectal Cancer and Related Death — The New England Journal of Medicine

If You Invite 455 People to Colonoscopy, You’ll Stop One Case of Cancer — MedPage Today

Key statistics for colorectal cancer — American Cancer Society

The colonoscopy: A historical timeline — Gastroenterology Health Partners

The post Why colonoscopies may be less effective than we thought appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Many people with conditions like coronary artery disease take daily aspirin to ward off heart attack and stroke. It’s also been suggested for reduction of the brain plaques that cause Alzheimer’s disease.

On the other hand, daily aspirin use has been linked with a significantly increased risk of bleeding, including hemorrhagic stroke and gastrointestinal hemorrhages. It also has been found to almost double the risk of melanoma in men.

Now another study has weighed in on the debate — and it seems to come down on the positive side of daily aspirin use, at least for one very serious threat…

Aspirin’s role in colorectal cancer prevention

Colorectal cancer, also known as bowel or colon cancer, is the third most common form of cancer worldwide, with around 1.9 million newly diagnosed cases and 900,000 deaths every year. It used to be considered an older person’s disease, but rates in people under 50 have been on the rise in recent years.

There is a need for more preventives for this deadly cancer. And aspirin could fit the bill…

Previous studies have shown that aspirin reduces the risk of colorectal cancer. One study found it reduced cancer of the large bowel by an impressive 50 percent. It also has been found to inhibit the progression of cancer in the colon.

More recent research has identified the signaling pathway by which aspirin can inhibit these cancers…

 A team from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) in Germany conducted a laboratory study to gain clarity on the molecular mechanisms behind this effect.

According to the results, aspirin prompts the production of two tumor-suppressive microRNA molecules (miRNAs) called miR-34a and miR-34b/c. To do this, aspirin binds to and activates AMPK, an anti-aging enzyme that acts as a “master switch” to determine how our bodies process energy. This in turn alters the transcription factor NRF2, which then migrates into the cell nucleus and activates the expression of the miR-34 genes.

In addition, aspirin allows the activation to succeed by suppressing the oncogene product c-MYC, which otherwise would inhibit NRF2.

To sum all this up, aspirin activates genes that help protect against colorectal cancer.

The results show that miR-34 genes are necessary for aspirin to work to inhibit colorectal cancer cells. Aspirin failed to prevent migration, invasion and metastasis in cancer cells that were miR-34-deficient. It was already known that the transcription factor p53 induces the miR-34 genes, which mediate its effects.

“Our results show, however, that activation of the miR-34 genes by aspirin takes place independently of the p53 signaling pathway,” says Heiko Hermeking, a professor of experimental and molecular pathology at LMU. “This is important because the p53-encoding gene is the most commonly inactivated tumor suppressor gene in colorectal cancer. In most other kinds of cancer, moreover, p53 is inactivated by mutations or viruses in the majority of cases. Aspirin could therefore be employed therapeutically in such cases in the future.”

How to best take aspirin

A lot more research needs to be done before aspirin’s role in colorectal cancer prevention can be confirmed. But if you’re at high risk for colorectal cancer because of family history or other factors, you may be considering adding a daily dose of aspirin to your regime. But is there a safe way to do it?

As is the case with any medication, the first thing to do is to speak with your doctor about it. They will be able to help you decide whether the potential preventive benefits are worth the risks and about existing conditions that need to be considered.

If your doctor does recommend daily aspirin, you’ll want to take a low dose (roughly 75 mg, or the dose in baby aspirin). Make sure to take it with food to help avoid stomach upset. Or you can take it in tablets that dissolve in a drink of water or tablets with a special enteric coating to help protect your stomach.

Of course, you’ll want to do everything you can to reduce your risk of colorectal cancer in the first place. It’s important to maintain a healthy weight, stay active and eat the right foods — particularly resistant starch. This type of starch has been shown to reduce the odds of a range of cancers — including colorectal cancer — by more than 60 percent.

Sources:

Bowel cancer: Aspirin activates protective genes — ScienceDaily

Salicylate induces AMPK and inhibits c-MYC to activate a NRF2/ARE/miR-34a/b/c cascade resulting in suppression of colorectal cancer metastasis — Cell Death & Disease

About low-dose aspirin — NHS

The post An over-the-counter medication activates cancer-protective genes appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

That meant drinking that awful prep liquid, spending hours on the toilet and suffering from a raw backside. And that’s before your dignity was ignored if not destroyed during the procedure.

But since colon cancer diagnoses among younger patients — those 40 to 49 — have risen 15 percent over the past two decades, the medical community lowered the age for that first routine colorectal cancer screening to 45.

No matter what age you were fortunate enough to have your first colonoscopy, you may be dreading the fact that you’re supposed to repeat the procedure every 10 years.

However, the good news is some of us may get a reprieve…

Risk level matters

Researchers at Harvard Medical School took stock of colorectal cancer screening results and colorectal cancer incidence across more than 195,000 people, specifically comparing the rate of colon cancer between two groups: people who received negative results on their initial colorectal cancer screening and those who had no colon cancer screening at all.

The initial results showed that those who had a negative cancer screening were at significantly lower risk of developing colorectal cancer than those who had not yet been screened.

The researchers also discovered that among people who underwent a colonoscopy and received a negative screening result, it took 16 years for participants at an intermediate-risk of colorectal cancer (due to negative lifestyle factors) to experience a similar cancer incidence as the high-risk group at 10 years.

Even better, the research showed that participants at low risk of colon cancer thanks to a healthy diet and regular exercise wouldn’t reach the 10-year cancer incidence experienced by the high-risk group for a full 25 years after their initial negative colonoscopy results.

In other words, as long as your first colonoscopy was clear of any signs of cancer or polyps, you may not have to do the deed every 10 years. The researchers believe that colonoscopy guidelines could be altered to be more individualized rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach.

The colonoscopy guidelines that are right for you

Of course, they also point out that it’s likely that any changes in the guidelines themselves will take time. Therefore, they recommend talking to your doctor about whether or not it’s safe to extend your personal screening interval beyond the recommended 10 years.

According to the researchers, it’s certainly an option if you live a low-risk lifestyle and have had a negative screening (no cancer or polyps) on your previous colonoscopy. A low-risk lifestyle for colon cancer involves maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, limiting red and processed meats, moderate alcohol consumption and not smoking.

However, make sure your doctor knows the extent of your family history with colon cancer — and no matter what you and your doctor decide, be alert to signs of cancer that need attention between colonoscopies.

These include:

• Persistent changes in your normal bowel habits
• Constipation or diarrhea
• Blood in your stool (you might experience either dark stools or see bright red blood)
• Rectal bleeding
• Narrowed or pencil-thin stools
• Abdominal discomfort or pain, which can include bloating or cramps
• Unexplained weight loss
• Fatigue or weakness
• Feeling as if your bowels won’t completely empty

It’s also important to note that in addition to a colonoscopy, there are four additional ways to screen for colon cancer, three of which are completely non-invasive, making it a much easier and more comfortable process.

Sources:

Time for a rethink of colonoscopy guidelines? — The Harvard Gazette

Colon Cancer: 8 Early Warning Signs & 4 Stages — MedicineNet

What to know about colonoscopies and cancer risk — Easy Health Options

The post Colonoscopy: Is every 10 years really necessary? appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

If we don’t take care of it, we can get very sick, and the most feared outcome for most of us is likely colon cancer.

There are foods that research tells us can elevate colon cancer risk, and then there are foods that could reduce that risk…

One study of 80,000 men found that those who ate the highest average daily amounts of healthy plant-based foods had a 22 percent lower risk of colon cancer when compared to those who ate the lowest amounts.

And not long ago, scientists found that eating red meat leads to cancer-causing genetic mutations in the tissue of the colon, something not seen in people who primarily eat chicken, fish, or plant-based diets.

Now, a large-scale study has discovered that if you’re a person with a particular genetic profile, you’re at even greater risk of developing colon cancer than most people if you keep eating red meat.

Genes can take red meat’s cancer risk up to 40 percent

Researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle compiled data from 27 studies of colorectal cancer risk in people of European origin.

Before even looking at genetic risk, they found that people who ate the highest amounts of red meat had a 30 percent increased risk for colorectal cancer. That risk jumped to 40 percent greater for those with the highest consumption of processed meat (hot dogs, sandwich meat, etc).

Then, when they dove into gene variants (over seven million of them!), their analysis turned up two specific SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms, or specific locations on a specific gene) that were associated with increased risk for meat eaters:

• People with a common variant of the HAS2 gene, involved in processing protein,  faced a 38 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer if they consumed the highest level of meat. This variant is found in about 66 percent of the population.
• The SMAD7 gene regulates hepcidin, a protein linked to iron metabolism. People with two copies of a variant of this gene face an 18 percent higher risk of colorectal cancer if they eat high levels of red meat. And one copy of this variant raises the risk to a whopping 35 percent.

“These findings suggest that there’s a subset of the population that faces an even higher risk of colorectal cancer if they eat red or processed meat,” said lead author Mariana C. Stern, Ph.D., a professor of population and public health sciences and urology, the Ira Goodman Chair in Cancer Research and the associate director for population science at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Take colon cancer risk down, genes or not

Dr. Stern cautions that these findings don’t provide a causal link between genetic variants and colon cancer.

“This gives us some important food for thought,” she says. “We do these gene-environment interaction studies when we know there’s a clear association between an environmental exposure and a disease, but what happens in between is still a black box.”

Dr. Stern hopes to follow up with experimental studies that may provide stronger evidence of the role of dysregulated iron metabolism in the development of colorectal cancer.

In the meantime, even if you have a genetic risk of colorectal cancer, it’s clear that eating the right foods and avoiding the wrong ones could cut your risk. And research shows that this is especially true for men.

Start by adding these powerful greens to your diet…

Trade some of that red meat for spinach. More than one study has shown spinach’s power to make gut changes that reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, even when it’s genetically “programmed.”

Learn to love broccoli. Broccoli contains sulforaphane, a naturally occurring compound that protects against prostate, colon, lung and breast cancer.

Add probiotics to the mix. When paired with broccoli, this combo may be even more powerful at keeping cancer cells at bay.

Sources:

Large-scale study explores genetic link between colorectal cancer and meat intake — Medical Express

Genome-Wide Gene–Environment Interaction Analyses to Understand the Relationship between Red Meat and Processed Meat Intake and Colorectal Cancer Risk — Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

Red meat consumption may promote DNA damage-associated mutations in patients with colorectal cancer — Medical Express

The post Why the red meat-colon cancer link is higher for some appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And for survivors, it can leave them reeling from the chemotherapy, radiation and surgery used to fight it.

That’s why when it comes to this deadly disease, your focus MUST be on preventing it from the start…

Luckily, a study from the Penn State Hershey Cancer Institute has revealed the power of including the right foods in your diet to stop colon cancer in its tracks.

Purple veggies kept cancer cells from spreading

The researchers fed pigs three different diets, supplementing purple-fleshed potatoes for those fed a high-fat diet. Apparently, the pig digestive system is more similar to the human digestive system than that of mice.

The scientists found that the pigs that were served a high-calorie diet supplemented with purple-fleshed potatoes had less colonic mucosal interleukin-6 (IL-6) compared to the other groups. IL-6 is a protein that is important in inflammation and linked to the spread and growth of cancer cells.

In fact, IL-6 levels were six times lower in pigs that ate the purple potato-enhanced feed compared to the control group. Researchers used both uncooked and baked potatoes and found similar effects.

The scientists pointed out that anti-IL-6 drugs are currently used against certain types of rheumatoid arthritis and are being considered to treat other inflammation-promoted chronic diseases like colon cancer. However, these drugs are expensive and can cause many side effects, including drug tolerance.

Yet, they were able to cut down on the cancer-causing protein using natural, whole foods rather than a pill.

And, while the researchers used purple potatoes in this study, they said that other colorful fruits and vegetables could lead to similar effects. That’s because colorful plants, like the purple potato, contain bioactive compounds, including anthocyanins and phenolic acids that have been linked to cancer prevention.

Eating for reduced cancer risk

Anthocyanins are flavonoids that are amazing antioxidants. They are so powerful that tests have shown they can yield twice the antioxidant power of vitamin C. And if you know anything about the triple miracle of vitamin C, that’s saying a lot!

Another great benefit of anthocyanins is that they’re easy to recognize. Since they give fruits and vegetables, their blue-violet and red-orange colors, you can tell whether your food contains these little powerhouses with just a glance at your plate.

So it’s a complete no-brainer to eat more anthocyanin-containing foods if you aim to reduce your chances of developing colon cancer. Some of the top foods rich in anthocyanin include:

• Berries — Blueberries blackberries, strawberries, raspberries, elderberries, cranberries, bilberries and any other blue, purple or red-skinned berries are all rich sources of anthocyanins.
• Cherries — Tart cherries contain more anthocyanins than sweet berries, and darker berries contain more than lighter varieties.
• Purple grapes — These tasty treats are not only a great source of anthocyanins but also of resveratrol, another powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
• Red Cabbage — There are over 36 different kinds of anthocyanins in red cabbage.

Other great sources include

• Eggplant
• Purple Asparagus
• Pomegranates
• Kidney Beans
• Black Beans
• Red Onions
• Oranges
• Sweet Potatoes
• Beets

If you’ve had colon cancer, adding more of these foods to your diet may also give you the best chance at keeping it from coming back, too…

Previous research has shown that stage 3 colon cancer patients who continued following a Western diet heavy on meat, fat, refined grains and sugar had as much as a threefold increase in recurrence and death than patients who switched to a diet heavy in fruits, vegetables, fish and poultry.

The post Anti-cancer key found in anthocyanin-rich foods appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Over ten years, we watched as my active, funny, loving dad shrank more and more into himself, both physically and emotionally, until he could no longer communicate with us, and recognized none of us, except for my mother.

Research into the origins of Parkinson’s is ongoing, in the hope that we can stop it before it starts.

Now, there’s been a unique discovery that holds out hope for doing just that…

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A brain attack that starts in the gut

Parkinson’s is a neurological disorder. However many researchers believe that it may get started far away from the brain, years before any tremors or other neurological signs appear.

They believe it may get its start in the gut.

Graduate students at Columbia University have been adding to the evidence that supports this theory.

They’re showing that the gastrointestinal changes that precede Parkinson’s could actually be a misdirected attack by the immune system, a malfunction that’s relatively easy to correct.

In Parkinson’s, a protein known as alpha-synuclein becomes misfolded, accumulates inside neurons and slowly poisons the cells.

Columbia researcher Dr. David Sulzer and his graduate students have collaborated with immunologists at the La Jolla Institute of Immunology in California to show that these misfolded proteins can also appear outside of neurons.

When this happens, the neurons are a sitting duck for attack from the immune system.

And this misguided immune attack ends up doing more damage to the neurons than the deposits of alpha-synuclein resting inside them.

“The blood of Parkinson’s patients often contains immune cells that are primed to attack the neurons,” Sulzer says, “but it’s not clear where or when they are primed.”

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An autoimmune reaction?

Dr. Sulzer wondered if the immune system’s attack on neurons was beginning in the gut.

This seemed a likely possibility since the gut contains the same neurons, and because constipation is an early symptom for most Parkinson’s patients, years before brain symptoms emerge or the disease is diagnosed.

Dr. Sulzer and his team created a mouse that could display pieces of misfolded alpha-synuclein on cell surfaces (normal mice do not have this ability).

They then injected the mice with alpha-synuclein and monitored what happened in the brain and the gut.

They did not see any signs resembling Parkinson’s disease in the brain. But they did see that an immune attack on neurons in the gut resulted in constipation and other gastrointestinal effects resembling the earliest signs of Parkinson’s disease.

“This shows that an autoimmune reaction can lead to what appears to be the early stages of Parkinson’s and is strong support that Parkinson’s is in part an autoimmune disease,” Dr. Sulzer says.

Stopping Parkinson’s in its tracks

More research is needed to determine how big a role the immune system plays in the brain of people with Parkinson’s.

One possibility is that the immune cells in Dr. Sulzer’s mouse model aren’t reaching the brain because the animals are young and still have a strong blood-brain barrier.

She doesn’t say, but with what we know about intestinal permeability, the integrity of the mice’s gut barrier may also prevent what’s happening there from overtly affecting the rest of the body.

But it’s exciting to think about the possibility that early detection — and interruption— of an immune response in the gut could prevent a later attack on the brain’s neurons and stop Parkinson’s in its tracks.

What can you do now if you have a family history of Parkinson’s? Well, research has shown a hormone secreted during exercise appears to stop a key trigger of the disease.

And if Parkinson’s does prove to be an autoimmune disease, at least in part, research has pointed to key nutrients that reduced the occurrence of autoimmune disease by 25 to 30 percent.

Of course, maintaining the health and integrity of your gut should also be at the top of your list. You can begin improving your own gut health right away by taking these steps.

Sources:

Study adds to evidence that Parkinson’s starts in the gut — Eureka Alert

Interaction of an α-synuclein epitope with HLA-DRB1∗15:01 triggers enteric features in mice reminiscent of prodromal Parkinson’s disease — Neuron

The post Parkinson’s: The gut-brain link grows stronger appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

For example, studies have shown that people who live near the equator, with higher exposure to the sunlight that produces more of the “sunshine vitamin,” have lower incidences of certain cancers and even lower death rates.

In lab and mouse models, researchers have found that vitamin D slowed cancer progression. In a large-scale human study, people who took vitamin D each day had a 17 percent lower risk of ending up with advanced cancer spread throughout their bodies.

Thankfully, these hopeful signs have spurred continuing research, revealing what could be a “game changer for the field of vitamin D as it relates to cancer”…

The power of p53

Researchers in Japan conducted a randomized clinical trial that included 392 patients with digestive tract cancers, including colorectal cancer, who were followed for a median of 3.5 years.

During this study, the researchers took an especially close look at the p53 gene, which produces a protein that prevents cells from becoming malignant. In cancer, the p53 gene becomes mutated, and the mutated p53 protein helps the cancer to grow and become immune to cancer therapy. But some people have an immune system that produces antibodies to control the production and release of this mutated p53 protein.

In the study, participants whose immune system produced those antibodies had a 27 percent reduction in risk of relapse or death if they also took 2,000 IUs of vitamin D3 daily — compared with participants in the same subgroup who did not take vitamin D supplementation.

Participants whose immune systems did not produce the antibodies received no survival benefit from taking vitamin D.

In a commentary in JAMA Network Open on the study, Dr. Michael F. Holick, a professor at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, says these results support the conclusion that improvement in vitamin D status through vitamin D supplementation can be an effective strategy for improving survival outcomes of cancers, especially of the digestive tract.

“We now recognize that there are a variety of variables that can influence how vitamin D prevents and responds to cancer,” corresponding author Holick says in the piece. “For example, being at a normal weight and taking vitamin D improves your ability to survive cancer. Other factors include the patient’s genetic makeup and how the patient utilizes and breaks down vitamin D.”

Sun and diet aren’t enough

Holick says it’s important to recognize that most studies showing vitamin D3 supplementation improves cancer survival had patients taking at least 2,000 IUs of vitamin D3 every day. This amount helps get vitamin D concentrations above 30 ng/mL and is not reported to cause any toxicity.

He notes that this amount can’t be achieved from diet or sunlight alone.

“Although vitamin D is the sunshine vitamin you cannot get enough vitamin D from sun exposure unless you expose more than 20% of your body surface to sunlight almost daily like the Maasai and Hazda do in equatorial Africa,” Holick says.

Since vitamin D deficiency has been reported to be as high as 72 percent among cancer patients, it’s an especially good idea to add vitamin D3 to your daily routine if you’re a cancer sufferer or survivor. Even if you’re cancer-free, you still may want to check your vitamin D levels, given that roughly 1 in 3 Americans is deficient in the sunshine vitamin.

Make sure you choose a quality vitamin D3 supplement. My colleague Margaret Cantwell explains the key difference vitamin D3 has on immune system function that vitamin D2 does not, in this post.

Sources:

1. BU commentary: Vitamin D supplementation was found to improve more than 1.5 fold survival of cancers of the digestive tract including colorectal cancer in patients with a cancer fighting immune system — EurekAlert!

2. Effect of Vitamin D Supplements on Relapse or Death in a p53-Immunoreactive Subgroup With Digestive Tract Cancer — JAMA Network Open

The post How vitamin D powers up a cancer-fighting gene appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Nutrition has often been examined as a possible path to controlling cancer. For example, it’s been determined that men who eat ultra-processed meats and drink sugary drinks are more likely to end up with colon cancer.

Now, researchers are uncovering another dietary strategy for controlling the spread of cancer cells that lead to colorectal cancer.

Low-protein diet puts tumor cells in crisis

A study from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center suggests that a low protein diet could provide effective control of the system of signals that turns colon cancer on and off.

“In colon cancer, when you decrease the nutrients available in the tumors, the cells don’t know what to do. Without the nutrients to grow, they undergo a kind of crisis, which leads to massive cell death,” says senior author Dr. Yatrik M. Shah, Horace W. Davenport Collegiate Professor of Physiology at Michigan Medicine.

Specifically, a regulator known as mTORC1 controls how cells use nutritional signals to grow and multiply. When a cell has plenty of nutrients, mTorc1 is activated. When nutrients are low, it is deactivated.

It seems that a low protein diet deprives the cell of crucial amino acids and blocks the signaling that turns mTorc1 on, thus blocking the cell’s ability to use nutrients to feed cancer.

Previous efforts had focused on blocking cancer-causing signals directly, rather than blocking the nutrient pathway that feeds those cancer cells.

“We knew that nutrients were important in mTORC regulation but we didn’t know how they directly signal to mTORC. We discovered the nutrient signaling pathway is just as important to regulate mTORC as the oncogenic signaling pathway,” says first author Dr. Sumeet Solanki, a research investigator at the Rogel Cancer Center.

A low-protein diet could be risky for cancer patients

While cutting protein intake seems promising in terms of preventing colon cancer, there is one risk.

Persons with cancer often experience muscle weakness and weight loss and limiting protein would only make this worse.

“Putting cancer patients on a protein-deficient diet long-term is not ideal. But if you can find key windows — like at the start of chemotherapy or radiation — when patients could go on a low protein diet for a week or two, we could potentially increase the efficacy of those treatments,” says Dr. Shah.

In other words, when scientists figure out when in the cancer journey a low-protein diet would have the most beneficial effect, then it could be prescribed for specific short-term periods of time, minimizing the possible detrimental effects.

Dietary strategies for prevention

Research into low-protein diets continues. But in the meantime, your hands are certainly not tied when it comes to taking action to decrease your risk of colon cancer.

A good start is cutting red meat out of your diet. Other types of proteins such as fish and chicken haven’t been found to raise your cancer risk, but we’ve long known that red meat and colon cancer go hand-in-hand.

In a study, published in Cancer Discovery, scientists concluded that eating red meat leads to genetic mutations in colon tissue that results in a type of DNA damage known as alkylation.

Not only can the mutation cause damage, but patients with colon tumors showing high levels of alkylating damage had a 47 percent greater chance of dying from the disease.

Instead of red meat, add some spinach (shown to have anti-tumor properties), along with these seven other foods to a healthy plant-based diet that leans away from colon cancer.

Weight loss has also been found to confer some serious protection against colon cancer. In a trial that involved a whopping 154,942 people and spanned a period of eight years, people who lost weight benefitted from a 46 percent lower risk for colorectal adenoma — a polyp that could become cancerous.

Sources:

Dietary change starves cancer cells, overcoming treatment resistance — Science Daily

Dysregulated Amino Acid Sensing Drives Colorectal Cancer Growth and Metabolic Reprogramming Leading to Chemoresistance —Gastroenterology

The post Limiting protein: A strategy for cancer treatment and prevention appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

It’s a no-brainer that eating anything that barely resembles real food and bears a list of unpronounceable ingredients could be remotely healthy.

So it probably doesn’t surprise you to hear that these so-called foods have been linked to everything from dementia to weight gain.

They’ve even been shown to shorten your telomeres — the caps on your DNA strands that keep your chromosomes stable — and trigger aging.

But they’ve become so ingrained in the Standard American Diet (SAD) for so long, many of us still consume these low-cost, zero-nutrition foods on a daily basis.

Well, now there’s one more warning about the health dangers of eating ultra-processed foods that men especially should heed…

Ultra-processed foods trade convenience for cancer

That was the conclusion of a team of researchers from Tufts and Harvard Universities, who found that men who consumed high rates of ultra-processed foods were at a whopping 29 percent higher risk of developing colorectal cancer.

But what made the researchers focus on the relationship between pre-packaged, artificially-flavored foods and colon cancer in the first place?

According to Lu Wang, the study’s lead author, “Processed meats, most of which fall into the category of ultra-processed foods, are a strong risk factor for colorectal cancer.”

But they’re not the only contributor…

“Ultra-processed foods are also high in added sugars and low in fiber, which contribute to weight gain and obesity, and obesity is an established risk factor for colorectal cancer.”

So, they set out to analyze the dietary intake of 200,000 participants, comparing it to the rate at which they ended up with colon cancer.

And while the study didn’t find an association between eating an ultra-processed diet and colorectal cancer in women — for men, the results were frightening…

The strongest association between colorectal cancer and ultra-processed foods in men came from meat, poultry, or fish-based ready-to-eat products.

However, those ultra-processed meats weren’t the only offenders…

They found that men who consumed more sugar-sweetened beverages, including sodas, fruit juices and sugary, milk-based beverages were also more likely to end up with colorectal cancer.

You may remember that just one sugar-sweetened beverage a day was linked to an increase in liver cancer for women recently.

Ultra-processed foods and the gut microbiome

So why are ultra-processed foods so dangerous?

Well, according to the researchers, it’s likely that these food are disruptive to the gut microbiome.  They are full of additives that promote inflammation and can contain microparticles of toxic contaminates from food packaging.

For women, ultra-processed dairy foods, like yogurt, may have counteracted the harmful impacts of other types of ultra-processed foods that otherwise should have increased their risks as well. Yogurt contains probiotics which promote a balanced gut microbiome.

In a previous study looking at colorectal cancers, researchers found that probiotics plus prebiotics and a diet rich in fiber lowered cancer risks and slowed cancer growth when it did occur.

Prebiotics are probiotics’ underrated cousin and could be especially beneficial to men trying to cut down on ultra-processed foods.

That’s because a previous study demonstrated prebiotics not only dramatically increase the number of a bacterium that’s particularly good for the microbiome, Bifidobacterium — but also helped participants cut down on foods containing sugar and carbs, which sounds like most ultra-processed foods.

So, if you want to avoid colorectal cancer, it seems it’s time to seriously cut back on ultra-processed foods, like hot dogs, sandwich meats and sodas, and eat more of the good stuff for your gut.

Sources:

New Study Links Ultra-Processed Foods and Colorectal Cancer in Men – Tufts Now

The post Foods that raise men’s colorectal cancer risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

And while we think of colon cancer as only something to worry about as we get older, the truth is that it can strike at any age, a fact which has led doctors to recommend earlier and earlier screening.

The good news is that knowing your risks of the disease, by using one of the five screening options for colon cancer and being aware of any predispositions you may have, can help you fight back before it starts.

So, what should you look for?

Colon cancer risk factors include:

• Family history of the cancer
• Inflammatory bowel disease
• History of polyps
• Smoking
• Type 2 diabetes

And now there’s one more to add to the list — your height.

As important as age or genetics

You see, doctors have long noticed that taller people tend to develop colorectal cancer more frequently. Yet, previous research into that risk had produced conflicting results.

So researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine set out to settle the issue for good so that we can be forewarned and forearmed with the knowledge we need in the battle against cancer.

“This is the largest study of its kind to date. It builds on evidence that taller height is an overlooked risk factor, and should be considered when evaluating and recommending patients for colorectal cancer screenings,” said Gerard Mullin, M.D., associate professor at Johns Hopkins.

The team analyzed the height of people over 285,000 people who were either diagnosed with colon cancer or colon polyps, as well as another 1,400 plus participants who underwent an outpatient colonoscopy.

And overall, they found that people who fall in the highest percentile of height have a 24 percent higher risk of developing colorectal cancer than the shortest within the lowest percentile.

“Every 10-centimeter increase (about 4 inches) in height was found to be associated with a 14 percent increased risk of developing colorectal cancer and 6 percent increased odds of having adenomas (polyps which can become cancerous),” says Mullin.

To put it into plain, simple English, this means that men who are 6’1” and women who are 5’8” or taller are at a 14 percent increased risk of colorectal cancer and a six percent increased risk of adenomas.

“One possible reason for this link is that adult height correlates with body organ size. More active proliferation in organs of taller people could increase the possibility of mutations leading to malignant transformation,” says Elinor Zhou, M.D., co-first author of the study.

A previous study also found that, for every extra 10 centimeters above average height, cancer risk increases by 11 to 13 percent.

Colon cancer protection

So if you fall into those height ranges, asking your doctor about earlier screening could be a life-saving step.

Additionally, if you’re at higher risk, it’s vital to remember the old adage, “An ounce of prevention’s worth a pound of cure.”

That means getting checked and staying up on colonoscopies. But lifestyle factors have a major impact on cancer risks as well…

• Exercise regularly and spend less time sitting, since even watching just two hours or more of TV can increase your risk by 70 percent
• Follow a healthy diet and eat foods that are shown to reduce the risk of colon cancer or polyps.  No cancer diet would be complete without broccoli — the cancer-fighting superfood, thanks to sulforaphane.
• Taking curcumin and boswellic acid, which have been found to regulate certain microRNA pathways in human colorectal cancer.
• Supplementing with vitamin D since higher blood levels have been linked to lower rates of the cancer

When it comes to colon cancer, knowing your risks and taking steps to mitigate them can make all the difference.

Sources:

Study: taller adults may be at increased risk for colorectal cancer – EurekAlert!

Key Statistics for Colorectal Cancer – American Cancer Society

Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors – American Cancer Society

The post What height has to do with colon cancer risk appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Prescribing antibiotics when they’re not really necessary can certainly cause other health problems. For instance, antibiotics tend to wreak havoc on your gut microbiota by killing off the good bacteria along with the bad.

Perhaps worst of all, antibiotics can raise your risk of certain cancers, most notably colon cancer. So far, research hasn’t produced clear-cut evidence of an antibiotic-colon cancer connection. But a recent study has offered more concrete proof of a link between the two, especially if you’re under 50…

Another good reason to limit antibiotic use

A study presented at the ESMO World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer has raised fresh concerns about the use of antibiotics and increased colon cancer risk, particularly in people under 50 years of age.

Out of a Scottish primary care database of up to 2 million people, the study examined data from 7,903 people with bowel cancer, which includes cancers of the colon and rectum. The researchers then matched that data with 30,418 people without bowel cancer. Of the people with bowel cancer, 45 percent were prescribed antibiotics during the exposure period, and 445 were under age 50.

Results found antibiotic use was associated with an increased risk of colon cancer across all ages. However, the risk was increased by almost 50 percent in people under the age of 50, compared with a 9 percent risk increase in those over 50.

In the under-50 age group, antibiotic use was linked to cancers in the first part of the colon, which is on the right side. Use of broad-spectrum quinolone and sulfonamide/trimethoprim antibiotics, which doctors prescribe to treat a wide variety of infections, were associated with these right-side cancers.

Dr. Leslie Samuel of the Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, senior author of the study, explained that the microbiota of the right side of the colon may be different because its contents are more liquid than in other parts of the colon.

“We now want to find out if there is a link between antibiotic use and changes in the microbiome that can make the colon more susceptible to cancer, especially in younger people,” Samuel said. “It’s a complex situation, as we know that the microbiome can quickly revert to its previous state even when the bowel has been cleared out for a diagnostic procedure such as an endoscopy.”

“To our knowledge, this is the first study to link antibiotic use with the growing risk of early-onset colon cancer — a disease which has been increasing at a rate of at least 3 percent per year over the last two decades,” said Sarah Perrott from the University of Aberdeen when presenting the data. “Junk food, sugary drinks, obesity, and alcohol are likely to have played a part in that rise, but our data stress the importance of avoiding unnecessary antibiotics, especially in children and young adults.”

More investigation is needed

Of the 2 million people diagnosed with colon cancer worldwide each year, the prognosis for people between the ages of 20 and 40 is generally worse because their cancer is often diagnosed at a later stage. Doctors are less likely to check a patient with abdominal discomfort for colon cancer if they’re in their 30s rather than their 70s, and younger patients are usually not eligible for bowel cancer screening.

Experts believe physicians should investigate whether younger patients with abdominal symptoms may have bowel cancer, and that more research is needed into the possible causes behind the rising incidence of colon cancer in the under-50 age group.

However, researchers caution that it’s too early to say if excessive use of antibiotics could be a cause of colon cancer, and that they need to better understand the possible role of the microbiome in bowel cancer before considering the impact of antibiotics on the intestinal flora.

Are there alternatives to antibiotics?

There are times when antibiotics are necessary and lifesaving. But there are many cases when antibiotics are ineffective and can even do more harm than good.

For instance, antibiotics cannot treat any illness caused by a virus, like a cold or flu. And despite its name, a sinus infection rarely responds to treatment with antibiotics. In these cases, it’s best to just ride it out and let the condition resolve on its own.

Some natural remedies, including oregano oil, olive leaf extract and manuka honey, have shown promise in treating certain infections for which antibiotics are normally used. But it’s wise to take care when considering alternatives to antibiotics, especially when the infection in question is serious and bacterial in nature. Consult your healthcare professional before making any final treatment decisions.

Sources:

Bowel cancer data reinforce need to reduce unnecessary antibiotic use — ESMO

The post Antibiotics may be driving colon cancer among those under 50 appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Perfect to add a hint of autumn to holiday cooking — think gingerbread — it’s also tantalizingly tangy in Asian-inspired recipes.

Or maybe you’ve used ginger as an antidote for motion sickness. Then you’ll really appreciate this…

Now there may be an even more significant use for ginger — alleviating the pain and suffering of intestinal diseases. Researchers at Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Georgia State University believe nanoparticles from the ginger root may also help diminish symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Researchers expect that nanoparticles from the ginger root could provide supplemental therapy for patients afflicted with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. There’s also evidence to suggest that the nanoparticles may be useful against cancer linked to colitis.

Testing a theory

Their studies started in a non-tech place: local farmers’ markets, where they scoured the bins for an adequate supply of ginger root. Then they headed to the lab and started the process of pulverizing ginger into tiny particles with an ordinary kitchen blender. After adding high-speed centrifugation and ultrasonic dispersion of ginger juice, researchers broke ginger root into single pellets called ginger-derived nanoparticles or GDNPs.

Administered orally, the nanoparticles contain high levels of lipids, a few proteins, large amounts of ginger bioactive constituents, and other substances. The key active constituents found naturally in ginger, which previous studies have shown to be active against oxidation, inflammation, and cancer were retained when the researchers created the nanoparticles. Even better, ginger is absorbed easily and is nontoxic.

So far, research has been conducted using lab mice. But results are promising and warrant further study. Initial studies indicated that these tiny nanoparticles — it would take more than 300 to fit across the width of a human hair — efficiently targeted the colon, where IBD inflammation occurs and were absorbed mainly by cells in the lining of the intestines.

In addition to reducing or preventing chronic colitis by lowering the production of proteins that promote inflammation, the particles encouraged intestinal repair by boosting the survival and proliferation of cells that make up the lining of the colon.

Of course ginger, in its many forms — fresh, dried, preserved, crystallized, candied, or powdered — has been used medicinally for centuries, with ginger-based supplements available in a variety of stores and online. This recent study seems to only validate what Traditional Chinese Medicine and practitioners of alternative health have always known: Ginger is a renowned inflammation fighter — and inflammation increases your risk for colon cancer and chronic disease in general.

Researchers believe delivering ginger-derived compounds orally via these nanoparticles may be a more efficient method of targeting colon tissue. But there’s no reason to wait for a prescription…

Switchel is a popular health tonic that’s experiencing a resurgence in popularity — and it makes excellent use of ginger. It’s a simple 3-ingredient recipe you can make for pennies in a matter of minutes.

You can also add fresh ginger (careful — a little goes a long way) to your favorite smoothie recipe (like this morning zing smoothie) or keep a bottle of delicious pickled ginger in your fridge to enjoy with meals. Sprinkle the dried spice in just about any recipe to enjoy its refreshing taste, knowing it’s just one more thing you’re doing to keep healthy.

Sources:
Ginger Nanoparticles Heal Inflammatory Bowel Disease

The post The not-so-gingerly spice that attacks cancer-causing inflammation appeared first on Easy Health Options®.

Since we as a nation have looked far beyond the simple truths of nutrition for our answers to health questions, I know it is time that we get back to these critical, but simple, laws of health, and learn why a healthy bowel is critical to nearly all other aspects of real health.

If food is properly digested and absorbed into the bloodstream, it then must be utilized by a tissue cell somewhere for it to be of any value in the body. We call this assimilation.

But if food is not properly digested, nutrients are not absorbed, toxic waste builds — and your body becomes ripe for disease.

The highly processed and refined foods common in today’s diets lack active enzymes, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, healthy oils and fiber to properly nourish and exercise the colon for health. When these foods pass through the system too slowly and sit for days at a time, toxins in the waste are reabsorbed back into the body — and the disease process begins…

Signs your colon is setting you up for disease

Common symptoms of poor digestive health are constipation, diarrhea, cramps or bloating. Less obvious problems that may develop from an inefficient colon include lack of energy, respiratory and allergy problems, bad breath, acne and skin dryness. And finally, this condition can ultimately lead to non-cancerous polyps, ulcerative colitis or even worse, colon cancer — which is striking more Americans at increasingly younger ages.

But many Americans don’t know how to assess their colon health because they don’t understand how well their digestive system should be working in the first place. You can find out by asking yourself these three questions…

Are you constipated?

Having bowel movements less than twice a day is considered constipation. Ideally, you should have a bowel movement for every meal. That may sound like a lot to you but it’s not. It should happen like clockwork as well because your body doesn’t need to hold a toxic load for hours…

Stool has a very high bacteria count, carries the metabolic wastes that are fat-soluble and contains the chemicals that have been dumped there by the liver for elimination. These toxic wastes must be eliminated or they get reabsorbed back through the colon into the bloodstream again, which is called enterohepatic recirculation.

Therefore, when feces stagnate in the large intestine the proteins that are present will putrefy, the carbohydrates ferment and the fats and oils go rancid. This gives rise to unhealthy bacteria that grow and form more toxins.

Diarrhea can occur during constipation, which many are surprised to learn. So if you experience diarrhea, it’s not safe to assume you are not constipated.

Do you have bloating, gas or excessive fullness after meals?

As the “garbage” builds without it being emptied, gases and other unhealthy organisms build, too. The quantities and types of intestinal bacteria, yeast and stool pH can dramatically alter intestinal and colon health, which directly influences nutrient absorption.

Gas is also a sign that certain foods cannot be broken down well and therefore become substrate for gas-producing bacteria. This is a sure sign of inadequate digestive enzyme function or inadequate stomach acid for the types of foods present.

Is your stool healthy?

I know it’s not pleasant, but the next time you have a bowel movement, take a look at what you’ve produced. The way your stool looks, including color, texture and how it treads water says a lot about your colon health.

Normal stool is medium to light brown in color, smooth, soft and s-shaped. It should be about 1 to 2 inches in diameter and up to 18 inches long. It should fall quietly and gently into the toilet basin and sink slowly.

Unhealthy stool is difficult to pass and may even cause discomfort. It may come out as hard lumps or pieces, mushy bits or narrow strips.

Pay special attention to the color of your stool. Determine which of these categories it falls into — each of which warrants a health assessment:

Black and tarry or bright red: Certain medications, supplements and even black licorice can turn your stools black. But it can also be a sign of bleeding in your GI tract.

White, pale or gray stools: Stools that match these colors may be indicative of a lack of bile, which can be the result of a serious problem, like hepatitis, pancreatic disorders or a blocked bile duct. Antacid can also make your stools white.

Yellow stools: This color may indicate that you’re suffering from giardia infection, a gallbladder problem or a condition known as Gilbert’s syndrome.

If you pass the stool color test but don’t feel the texture and size are quite right, you may be mildly constipated.

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Rebuilding your colon health

A colon cleanse should be your starting point for rebuilding a healthy colon. Some people literally carry pounds of waste around in their colon. Imagine how many people are trying desperately to lose weight dieting when in fact, what they truly need is a good old-fashioned colon cleanse. The health benefits would be felt almost immediately.

An intestinal flush is the most effective way to clean out the colon. You can purchase Fleets Oral Saline Laxative over the counter. Alternatively, you can use Epsom salt and follow the directions on the container.

Once you have performed a flush, natural herbals can help keep everything running smoothly afterward, such as Cascara Sagrada, black walnut, slippery elm bark, burdock root, senna, flaxseed and psyllium husks — any of which are very effective at stimulating the bowels but can be especially effective when used in combination like here. Psyllium absorbs water, swells and causes stool to be slippery so they can pass easier. If you are wary of an intestinal flush, these natural colon stimulants can also be used to reverse constipation.

Next make dietary changes to include whole grains, raw fruits and vegetables. The fiber from these foods creates mass that passes through the system more quickly and easily. More importantly, healthful natural foods continue to nourish the very cells of the colon.

Once you understand what the colon needs to be healthy, then the use of natural whole foods and therapies becomes easy — and so does health.

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