Colon Cancer prevention

[Guest guest]

This is important news, along with the daily aspirin we discussed a few days

ago, and here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/731232?sssdmh=dm1.645076 & src=nldne & uac=12734\

4PT

Sandy r

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October 27, 2010 — Nearly a quarter (23%) of colorectal cancer cases could be

prevented with a healthy lifestyle, suggests a new study of middle-aged people

in Denmark.

The study, published online October 26 in BMJ, is one of the first to study the

impact of multiple healthy behaviors, rather than just 1 factor. The impact of 5

factors — physical activity, waist circumference, smoking, alcohol intake, and

diet — was assessed.

Even modest differences in lifestyle might have a substantial impact on

colorectal cancer risk.

" Our study reveals . . . that even modest differences in lifestyle might have a

substantial impact on colorectal cancer risk, and emphasizes the importance of

continuing vigorous efforts to convince people to follow the lifestyle

recommendations, " the authors conclude. The team is from the Institute of Cancer

Epidemiology at the Danish Cancer Society in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Data From Lifestyle Questionnaires

The information comes from the Diet, Cancer and Health Cohort Study, which

collected data on lifestyle from questionnaires completed by 57,053 people. All

were born in Denmark, were 50 to 64 years of age, and did not have cancer when

they filled out the questionnaire. People with a family history of cancer were

excluded, as were those taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and women on

hormone-replacement therapy, leaving 55,487 participants.

The researchers created a healthy lifestyle index using internationally accepted

public health recommendations from the World Health Organization, the World

Cancer Research Fund, and the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations.

The answers provided by the participants show that most of them followed 4 of

the 5 factors contributing to a health lifestyle:

•82% followed recommendations for exercise (being physically active for at least

30 minutes a day)

•76% had a waist circumference within the recommended range (below 88 cm for

women and 102 cm for men)

•64% were nonsmokers (56% had never smoked)

•59% had alcohol intake within the recommended limits (fewer than 7 drinks a

week for women, and fewer than 14 drinks a week for men).

However, only 2% of participants followed all of the dietary recommendations,

which included eating at least 600 g of fruit and vegetables daily, eating 500

mg or less of red and processed meat a week, eating at least 3 g of dietary

fiber per megajoule of dietary energy, and getting 30% or less of total energy

from fat.

During a median follow-up of 9.9 years, colorectal cancer was diagnosed in 678

individuals.

The risk for colorectal cancer was " significantly linearly related " to the

lifestyle index, the researchers reported. The more recommendations that were

followed, the lower the risk for colorectal cancer.

However, this association between lifestyle index and colorectal cancer was

stronger in men than women. " The nonsignificant sex difference we found could be

due to some biological differences or to a difference in the level or quality of

reporting lifestyle, " the researchers explain. Women tended to overestimate the

consumption of " desirable " items more than men, but there were fewer cases of

colorectal cancer among women, so that analysis might have lacked statistical

power, they add.

" If all participants had followed merely 1 additional recommendation, we

estimate that 13% of the cases of colorectal cancer might have been prevented, "

they researchers write.

" Furthermore, we estimate that 23% of the colorectal cancers in this cohort were

associated with a lack of adherence to the recommendations for the 5 lifestyle

factors included in our study, " they conclude.

The study was supported by the Danish Cancer Society. The researchers have

disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

BMJ. Published online October 26, 2010.