Saturday Nov 29, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Some researchers
believe that drinking milk or eating dairy products is a risk factor for
colorectal cancer.
A new study has found
additional evidence to support the notion.
The study showed that people whose diet had a higher
ratio of calcium to magnesium were more likely to have colorectal cancer. The
ratio of calcium to magnesium in milk is high.
Early studies showed that Asian people have low incidence
of colorectal cancer than American people even though they have similar intake
of magnesium.
And Asians who immigrated
to the U.S. became more susceptible to the disease years later.
Both observations together prompted researchers to speculate
that there might have something to do with intake of calcium because milk with
high calcium is far much more commonly used in the U.S. than Asian countries.
Dai Q and colleagues of Vanderbilt University School of
Medicine wanted to examine if there is an association of colorectal polyps with
intake of calcium, magnesium, or both and a gene mutation called The1482Ile in
the gene TRPM7 is modified by the minerals.
The study involved 688 adenoma cases, 210 hyperplastic
polyp cases, and 1306 polyp-free controls from the Tennessee Colorectal Polyp
Study.
The researchers found total intake of magnesium was
correlated to a significantly reduced risk of colorectal adenoma, particularly
in those who used a diet with low calcium and high magnesium.
There was an inverse association between the
ratio of calcium to magnesium for hyperplastic polyps.
They also found that of participants who had a high ratio
of calcium to magnesium in their diet, those who carried the gene variant were
60 percent more likely to have adenoma and 85 percent more likely to have
hyperplastic polyps.
In a word, a high calcium and low magnesium diet may
increase risk of colorectal cancer.
The
most abundant sources of calcium are milk and dairy products although beans and
green vegetables are also calcium-rich.
Magnesium
is found abundantly in 100% bran cereal, oat bran, shredded wheat, brown rice,
almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, lima beans, frozen chopped spinach, and Swiss
chard.
Disclaimer: What's published on this website should be considered opinions of respective writers only and foodconsumer.org which has no political agenda nor commercial ambition may or may not endorse any opinion of any writer. No accuracy is guaranteed although writers are doing their best to provide accurate information only.
The information on this website should not be construed as medical advice and should not be used to replace professional services provided by qualified or licensed health care workers. The site serves only as a platform for writers and readers to share knowledge, experience, and information from the scientific community, organizations, government agencies and individuals.
Foodconsumer.org encourages readers who have had medical conditions to consult with licensed health care providers - conventional and or alternative medical practitioners.
