Calcium Decreases Risk of Advanced Colorectal Adenomas

Calcium Decreases Risk of Advanced Colorectal Adenomas

LEBANON, N.H.Calciumsupplementation has been shown to lower the risk of colorectal polyps; however,a new study has shown calcium may have the greatest effect on advancedcolorectal lesions (J Natl Cancer Inst,96, 12:921-5, 2004) (http://jncicancerspectrum.oupjournals.org/jnci).Researchers from Dartmouth Medical School analyzed data from 913 subjectsenrolled in the Calcium Polyp Prevention Study, a randomized, double blind,placebo-controlled trial. The subjects were randomly assigned to receive either1,200 mg/d of calcium carbonate or placebo, and had follow-up colonoscopiesapproximately one year and four years after enrolling in the trial. Afteranalyzing the data, researchers found calcium supplementation slightly decreasedthe risk of all types of colorectal polyps, including hyperplastic polyps,tubular adenomas and more advanced lesions. They also found the effect was mostpronounced in subjects with a high intake of calcium and fiber and a low intakeof fat; however, the interactions were not statistically significant.