Colorectal Cancer
How Do You Weigh the Benefits and Risks of Aspir…
Aspirin has been around for over 100 years. Moreover, it is one of the most versatile drugs in the pharmacy. This tablet relieves pain, lowers fever and reduces inflammation. In addition, it has anti-…
How Does Eating Ultra-Processed Food Affect Your…
Americans love ultra-processed food! Things that come in a box or a bag take up tremendous shelf space in our supermarkets and convenience stores. Think: candy, crackers, Doritos, Oreos and Fritos, no…
Do People Who Skip Meat Have a Lower Chance of C…
Colorectal cancer is common and deadly. It is the third most common malignancy and the fourth most common cause of cancer death in the world. A new study published in BMC Medicine reports that diet ca…
Does Regular Vigorous Exercise Cut the Chance of…
Can you run away from cancer? It sounds like a silly question, but new research suggests that regular, vigorous exercise helps protect people from cancer. In addition, metastatic spread is far less co…
Are Colonoscopies A Waste of Time and $$$?
The headlines were brutal and gastroenterologists cringed. One from MEDPAGE TODAY (Oct. 9, 2022) captured the essence of a new study: "If You Invite 455 People to Colonoscopy, You'll Stop One Case of …
How to Keep Cancer from Spreading by Taking Aspi…
Cancer remains our number two killer, just behind heart disease. Far too many people die each year from cancer of the breast, prostate, colon and lung. What can be done to prevent tumors or keep cance…
Do Bacon and Ham Raise Risk for Colon Cancer?
Cold cuts have a reasonably long shelf life, in large measure because of the added preservatives–salts of nitrate and nitrite. Such chemicals add flavor and the familiar pink color to ham, salami an…
What Are the Alternatives to Colonoscopy?
Colorectal cancer is the third most common type of cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among American adults. If it is detected early, before it spreads, colorectal cancer can be treat…
Are Antibiotics and Colon Cancer Linked?
Antibiotics are, without doubt, one of the greatest breakthroughs in modern medicine. Millions, perhaps tens of millions, of lives have been saved thanks to antibiotics. Antibiotics are often perceive…
Does Vitamin D Help Prevent Colorectal Cancer?
Colorectal cancer rates have been declining since the mid 1980s. That may be due in part because of regular screening through colonoscopy. However, scientists have previously found evidence that vitam…
What Is the Best Diet for Cancer Survivors?
Does it matter what you eat after you’ve been treated for cancer? A new study of 1400 German people who had survived colorectal cancer treatment has clarified the best diet for cancer survivors. Fin…
Show 1179: What Should You Do About Digestive Di…
Have you ever had horrible heartburn or a really bad bellyache? Most of us have experienced digestive distress at one time or another. When do you need to seek medical attention for your problem? What…
Can Blood Pressure Pills Cut Risk of Colon Cance…
Millions of people take blood pressure medicines called ACE inhibitors such as lisinopril. Many others use ARBs such as losartan or valsartan. Some previous studies hint that ACE inhibitors might incr…
Reducing Cancer Risk With Vitamin D and Magnesiu…
Scientists have linked low levels of vitamin D to a higher risk for cancer, especially colorectal cancer. What do they say about minerals? Is there a role for them in cancer prevention? A new study pu…
Can You Prevent Colorectal Cancer With Aspirin?
For years, doctors have been debating the pros and cons of aspirin. They have long known that this old drug can cause serious gastrointestinal irritation. But epidemiologists have also noted that regu…
Should You Eat Yogurt for a Healthy Colon?
Your diet could influence your risk of developing colorectal cancer. Data from the long-running Health Professionals Follow-up Study and the Nurses’ Health Study included detailed information on die…
FIT | Can You Detect Colon Cancer Without a Colo…
Have you ever had a colonoscopy? It might not be the most pleasant screening test ever devised, but it does save lives. Colon cancer is a leading cause of cancer death, and a colonoscopy is a way to d…
Will Colonoscopy Change Your Gut Flora?
Colonoscopy, in which the gastroenterologist uses a scope to examine the colon for signs of polyps or other growths, can save lives. (Learn more here.) A study in The New England Journal of Medicine (…
Show 1144: New Ways to Heal Your Digestive Tract
Heartburn is a common problem. Many people take powerful acid-suppressing drugs like Nexium or Prilosec every day to treat gastro-esophageal reflux disease or GERD. If untreated, chronic irritation of…
Do You Need to Take Calcium Supplements?
For decades, women and older adults were advised to take calcium supplements to help maintain bone strength. More recently, however, concerns have been raised about the possibility that calcium supple…
Should You Worry About Calcium Side Effects Like…
Until recently, extra calcium was considered essential for good health. Millions of women popped a calcium pill or two every day. They assumed there were no calcium side effects, though some complaine…
Nuts Reduce Chance of Colon Cancer Recurrence
Eating nuts has been shown to be good for cardiovascular health. But could nuts reduce the risk of colon cancer recurring? Nuts Reduce Rate of Recurrence: Now, researchers have found that people who e…
Can What You Eat Change Your Risk of Cancer?
A new study published in JAMA Oncology reports that pro-inflammatory foods increase the risk of colorectal cancer. An anti-inflammatory diet, on the other hand, reduces the risk of cancer (Tabung et a…
How Good Is Aspirin Against Cancer in New Study?
In 1993 we published a book with Tom Ferguson, MD, called The Aspirin Handbook (Bantam Books). In it we pointed out that there was an impressive amount of research supporting the beneficial effects of…
Colorectal Cancer Is Killing More Young Adults
Researchers are reporting that colorectal cancer is killing an increasing number of American adults under 55. The death rate has risen noticeably since the mid 1990s. Colorectal Cancer Is Killing Whit…
Can Curcumin in Turmeric Fight Pancreatic Cancer…
Pancreatic cancer is a challenging disease. The American Cancer Society puts one-year survival rates around 20%. Five-year survival is roughly 8%. That compares to five-year survival for prostate, thy…
Nordic Diet vs. Dementia
The Mediterranean diet gets all the headlines. It is supposed to be good for your heart, your brain and just about everything else that ails you. Ask almost any health professional about the healthies…
Why You Should Exercise and Eat Right, Now
We've all been told that we should exercise and eat right. Research to be reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting shows that a healthy lifestyle matters. That's true even after a…
Are Younger People Now at Risk for Colon Cancer?
The rates of rectal and colon cancer have been declining for decades. That may be in part because of screening through colonoscopies. Most such cancers occur in middle-aged and older people. The usual…
Common Pain Relievers (NSAIDs) Vs. Colorectal Ca…
Investigators writing in the BMJ (Dec. 5, 2016) report that a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) like ibuprofen reduces the risk of colorectal cancer. So does aspirin. NSAIDs and Colon Polyp…
How Does a Colonoscopy Affect Microbes of the Di…
Colorectal cancer takes quite a toll on Americans, killing more than 50,000 adults each year (CDC, June 20, 2016). Gastroenterologists recommend periodic colonoscopy for early detection and prevention…
Staying Active Can Help Prevent Chronic Health P…
Exercise remains one of the most powerful interventions for promoting health and preventing disease. An article in the BMJ reviewed 174 studies published over 25 years. The scientists evaluated the am…
Vitamin D and Calcium Supplements Failed in Canc…
Previous research suggested that high levels of vitamin D would protect people against colorectal cancer. People with high blood levels of this hormone/vitamin were more likely to survive. A big obser…
Dried Plums Against Colon Cancer
Dried plums, also known as prunes, are famous for their effects as a remedy for constipation. Now researchers working with rats have found that a diet rich in dried plums also appears to reduce the r…
Genes Determine Whether Aspirin or Ibuprofen Can…
Regular use of aspirin and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can protect against colorectal cancer, but not everyone benefits from this effect. Why Not Take Aspirin for Cancer Prevention? …
Vitamin D Aids Cancer Survival
Researchers at the American Society of Cancer Oncology report that clinical trial participants with newly diagnosed colorectal cancer fared better if they had higher blood levels of vitamin D. The pat…
More Colonoscopies Linked to Reduced Rate of Col…
Over the last decade, colon cancer rates have dropped dramatically. This comes with a corresponding increase in colonoscopies, especially among people between 50 and 75 years old. Medicare covers colo…
New DNA Stool Test May Help Detect Colon Cancer
As many as one third of Americans may forego a colonoscopy because they consider it embarrassing or uncomfortable. Home stool tests could provide a different type of detection for colorectal cancer. A…
New Home Test Helps Detect Colon Cancer Early
People are advised to have periodic colonoscopies to detect colorectal cancer early. This is the second leading cause of cancer death but it can be treated successfully if caught early enough. The pro…
Should We Blame Colon Cancer on the Intestinal B…
The bacteria that inhabit our intestines have a huge impact on our health. The most recent revelation is that people with colon cancer have a different mix of bacteria than healthy volunteers, with mo…