| Calorie Restriction
and Colon Cancer |
 |
Our diet is a key factor in keeping gut and colon cancer at bay, and preliminary
studies in mice have suggested that the best diet to counter cancer is to
eat in healthier and smaller food portions.
 Investigators
at the US National Cancer Institute, in Bethesda, Maryland found that cancer-prone
mice which were fed either a restricted-calorie
diet or a diet rich in olive oil, fruits and vegetables were up to 60% less
likely to develop pre-cancerous colon polyps compared with mice fed regular
diets. As such, the lead researcher Dr. Volker Mai has advised
individuals who want to prevent intestinal and colon cancers to "avoid
overeating and consume a healthier diet rich in beneficial fatty acids (and)
high in fruits and vegetables".
 Dr.
Mai's study placed mice on 5 different variables. These mice were specially
bred with a gene that left them highly susceptible to intestinal cancers.
The mice were then put on one of five diets - a regular diet, a regular
diet plus moderate exercise, a high-fat diet, a calorie-restricted
(40% less) diet, or a diet high in olive oil, fruits and vegetables.
Each mouse's gut was then examined for the number of polyps -- small pre-cancerous
growths -- at the end of the study. The results demonstrated how significantly
the diet affects the rate of cancer growth. The mice on the olive oil,
fruit and vegetable regimen displayed 40% fewer polyps within the intestines
and colon, and there was a full 60% less polyp development among the mice
on the calorie-restricted diet. The mice who had exercised had a slight
reduction in polyp development, whereas the most cancer-prone mice were
those on the high-fat regimens.
 Many
studies have concluded that simply by reducing daily calorie intake is helpful
in keeping cancer away, and it is almost universally accepted
that diets heavy in fruits, vegetables and healthy oils work to fight a
host of illnesses.
While we cannot say with certainty that the same results apply to men as
they do in mice, strong similarities do exist between us. Although the mechanisms
by which various foods affect health remain unclear, it is likely low-calorie,
plant-based diets may alter levels of hormones in the body that influence
cancer development.
Annual Experimental Biology 2002 Conference New Orleans, LA April 22, 2002
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