This entry was posted on Monday, July 23rd, 2007 at 6:56 pm and is filed under Colon Health . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Probiotics reduce colon cancer riskAuthor: Jessica
07.23.2007
Probiotics reduce colon cancer risk Colon cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in American men and women. Although colon cancer is responsible for approximately 56,000 deaths annually, the death rate from this form of cancer has been dropping steadily for the past 20 years. Some researchers speculate that the lowering death rate is due to prevention and early treatment of the disease. Lactobacillus acidophilus,a probiotic or “friendly” bacteria that inhabits the intestinal tract, may play a role in preventing colon cancer. In order to further examine L. acidophilus strains that may aid in the reduction of colon cancer risk, researchers assessed the potential anticancer properties of L. acidophilus NCFM® in rats. Groups of rats with chemically-induced colon cancer were fed an experimental diet containing L. acidophilus NCFM for 10 weeks. Upon conclusion of the study, it was shown that cancerous lesions were reduced by 29% and 39% after rats were given a diet that contained 2% and 4% L. acidophilus NCFM, respectively. In addition, researchers concluded that the activity of beta-glucuronidase, a bacterial enzyme whose excess activity is indicated in the development of colon cancer?was also significantly reduced. According to Dr. C. Rao and colleagues in the International Journal of Oncology, “These findings are significant because as one of the widely used probiotic organisms, NCFM has these inhibiting effects in rats without affecting the body weight, or other signs of toxicity and inflammation.” While its full potential should be further evaluated, these results suggest that L. acidophilus NCFM may reduce the risk of colon cancer development. Int J Oncol 1999;14(5):939-44. Want to learn how to incorporate probiotics and other nutritional supplements into your lifestyle? You can schedule a nutritional counseling session with Jessica Zaccaro in our Santa Monica location by calling our office seven days a week, 310-399-1722. Leave a Reply |