Calcium may help prevent colon polyp recurrence
Calcium supplements may help stop the reappearance of colon polyps. Polyps are abnormal growths in the colon that are usually benign but may turn cancerous. They are often removed to prevent the development of cancer.
In a study reported in the New England Journal of Medicine, doctors studied 930 patients, with an average age of 61 years, who had had one or more polyps removed from the large intestine. The patients were assigned to take either 600 mg of calcium per day or a placebo.
At around nine months after treatment started and then again after 36 months, the researchers examined the colon via colonoscopy. Among the 832 patients who underwent both colonoscopies, the risk of polyp recurrence was 17 per cent lower in those who took the calcium supplements. The average number of polyps was 24 per cent lower.
