Guest guest Posted April 4, 2005 Report Share Posted April 4, 2005 " HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch HSI e-Alert - High Five Mon, 04 Apr 2005 06:59:00 -0500 HSI e-Alert - High Five Health Sciences Institute e-Alert **************************************************** April 04, 2005 Dear Reader, There are four simple steps you can take to reduce your risk of colorectal cancer, according to studies I've discussed in other e-Alerts: 1) Take a daily multivitamin 2) Get plenty of vitamin D (preferably from short periods of daily sun exposure) 3) Eat ample amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables 4) Get a colonoscopy Okay, I admit, that last one isn't so simple, but it's extremely effective because colonoscopy not only looks for cancer polyps, it also removes them, sharply reducing cancer risk. With today's e-Alert we'll add one more item to that list. And the good news: Like the first three items, it's simple and easy - and non-invasive. ----------- Most valuable mineral ----------- In previous e-Alerts and HSI Members Alerts we've looked at the many benefits of adequate magnesium intake. Studies have shown that magnesium may promote bone flexibility while helping to prevent heart disease and type 2 diabetes. As if that scorecard wasn't impressive enough, animal studies indicate that dietary magnesium may also provide protection against colorectal cancer. With research in this area relatively unexplored with humans so far, scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, prepared a population-based study using information from the Swedish Mammography Cohort. The Karolinska team gathered dietary and medical records on more than 61,000 women, aged 40 to 75 years, who were cancer-free at the outset of the study. Over a follow up period of nearly 15 years, about 800 cases of colorectal cancer were diagnosed. Analysis of the data showed that women with the highest dietary intake of magnesium reduced their risk of colorectal cancer by 40 percent, compared to women who had the lowest magnesium intake. This association held true when data was broken down to reflect cases of colon cancer or rectal cancer. ----------- Easy come, easy go ----------- Dietary magnesium is easy to come by. The mineral is naturally present in green leafy vegetables, avocados, nuts and seeds, and whole grains, but usually in small amounts, so you need to eat a wide variety of these foods regularly to get all the magnesium you need. In the e-Alert " This Day and Every Day " (10/3/02) I told you about research indicating that as many as half of the adults in North America may not be getting enough magnesium in their diets. This is largely due to the stresses on the body that deplete stores of magnesium. Starch, for instance, depletes magnesium, as does stress. You may also be at increased risk for magnesium deficiency if you regularly consume alcohol or diuretics because both can increase urinary excretion of the mineral. Prescription medications, like the antibiotics Gentamicin, Amphotericin, and Cyclosporin, can increase magnesium excretion as well. ----------- Call in the reserves ----------- When I asked HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., to give us his thoughts on magnesium supplementation, he shared some information from the National Institutes of Health, which recommends 420 mg daily for men over the age of 31, and 320 mg daily for women of the same age group. But it's not quite that cut-and-dried, because, as Dr. Spreen points out, there are other questions to be considered: " I've always recommended 500 milligrams/day, since absorption of most forms isn't that great anyway, and I like to let people get the cheapest and easiest sources they can. " My limit for oral magnesium is that which causes any loosening of the stools (and there's always a distinct dose that will do it...in fact, it works like a charm for constipated people by taking a known dose at bedtime, plus it helps them sleep!). I'm careful to warn people not to go over that limit for the simple reason that food is moved through the GI tract too quickly with too much magnesium, and that cuts down on absorption of nutrients (both from foods and supplements). However, that amount is usually between 400 and 1500 milligrams/day. " The new RDI (as of 2002, anyway) in the US is 400 mg/day. Now, bear in mind that that's ELEMENTAL magnesium. In a supplement, such as magnesium oxide (a poor form, but wouldn't you know that's what a drug company uses for low magnesium levels in the official Physician's Desk Reference), the tablet that is sold as a 400 milligram tablet only has 241.3 milligrams of elemental magnesium. So, when you take a '400 milligram' tablet, you aren't getting 400 milligrams of magnesium anyway. Plus, even the label says you can take 2/day, or 800 milligrams. " If you're concerned that you might have a magnesium deficiency, ask your doctor to test your blood for magnesium levels. A normal range is anywhere between .66 and 1.23 mmol/L (millimoles per liter). Then you can be reassured that your magnesium intake is getting absorbed to deliver all the benefits from this essential nutrient. **************************************************** ....and another thing There's a new virus getting passed around that appears to be highly communicable. Those who seem to be at highest risk are politicians. The primary symptom: A delusion that state and federal legislatures are wise parents who must treat the public like children who can't take care of themselves. It's called GM fever ( " GM " for " government meddling " ), and the latest outbreak has occurred in Honolulu, Hawaii. As everyone knows, there's also an " obesity epidemic " raging in America, and Hawaii is no exception. Hawaiian statistics show that more than 20 percent of Hawaii's kids are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. The solution? Weigh the teachers. State Representative Rida Cabanilla believes that if teachers are carrying too much weight, it sets a bad example for the students. So Rep. Cabanilla has introduced legislation that will require all schoolteachers to be weighed twice a year. An " obesity database " would be established to monitor each teacher's weight, and teachers who tipped the scales above a certain level would face " appropriate measures. " Then! Just stand back and watch the kids get slimmer! This plan is nothing, however, compared to what Rep. Cabanilla would do if the law would only let her. A report from Internet Broadcasting Systems (IBS) offered this quote from Rep. C.: " We should start at home, but since the legislature has no way to regulate homes, we can at least start at school. " Gee, too bad the power of the legislature can't regulate citizens in their homes to create a statewide obesity database for ALL Hawaiians. (What's next? Obesity Police?) As you might imagine, the president of the Hawaii State Teachers Association, Roger, Takabayashi, had a strong reaction to Rep. Cabanilla's big idea. Mr. Takabayashi started out evenly, telling IBS that the legislature's educational priority should focus on putting highly qualified teachers in the classroom. But then the gloves came off and Mr. T. described the plan as " quite offensive, " adding it wouldn't benefit the children. Obviously Mr. Takabayashi hasn't yet come down with a case of GM fever. But others have. The Hawaiian senate is considering a resolution similar to Rep. Cabanilla's. I'm no fan of vaccine programs, but I hope they develop one fast for GM fever. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson Health Sciences Institute **************************************************** Sources: " Magnesium Intake in Relation to Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Women " Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 293, No. 1, 1/5/05, jama.ama-assn.com " Magnesium May Protect Against Colorectal Cancer " NutraIngredients.com, 2/22/05, nutraingredients.com " Lawmaker Wants Teachers in Hawaii Weighed for Obesity " Internet Broadcasting Systems, Inc. 3/28/05, thewbalchannel.com *********** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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