How do you keep colon polyps from becoming malignant?

May 28, 11:24 PMSacramento Nutrition ExaminerAnne Hart

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You could look at the Heart Spring site to find out more about how environmental chemicals are implicated in up to 90% of all cancers, according to research by the World Health Organization. But what if you want to prevent your benign colon polyps (adenomas) from turning cancerous? Are there certain foods that can help?

Scientific studies for the past half century have emphasized eating a high-fiber diet without being specific as to what type of foods are best. According to the May 2009 issue of Total Wellness newsletter, by eating a special raw food breakfast or snack, you’re off to a good start. First you take a handful of raw buckwheat groats (or any whole grain that is not processed) and put it into a glass jar of filtered water.

On top of the groats, you put a handful of almonds. Then on top of the almonds goes a handful of sunflower seeds. You leave these three ingredients to soak in the refrigerator overnight. They will begin to sprout. Take out the grain and seed mixture and add some fruit in a bowl.

Add liquids such as almond milk, soy milk, kefir, yogurt, or any type of milk or juice to the fruit, nut, and grain soaked raw mixture. You’d also need to check to see whether you have enough vitamin D3 and omega 3 fatty acids in balance with your other fatty acids. See Grant WB, Garland CF's medical research study and article titled,"A critical review of studies on vitamin D in relation to colorectal cancer."  The study reported, "There is strong evidence from several different lines of investigation supporting the hypothesis that vitamin D may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. Further study is required to elucidate the mechanisms and develop guidelines for optimal vitamin D sources and serum levels of vitamin D metabolites."

Also see the article, Growth control of human colon cancer cells by vitamin D and calcium in vitro, by Heide S. Cross, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 84:1355-57, 1992. So what would you include in your dietary measures?

If you like, other natural approaches include adding two tablespoons of lecithin granules on top (optional). Your next meal could be cut up raw vegetables or a salad. Brown bag it. Cut up radishes, cucumbers, zucchini, green onions, fennel, carrots, celery, or any raw vegetables you enjoy. For dessert eat some whole fruits. Slice an organic apple.

Some doctors tell you to try a salad for dinner topped with cooked or canned salmon or other types of fish such as sardines. The point is you want some high-fiber, raw foods, about 30-35 grams of fiber in your diet, if your doctor says it’s okay for you to eat a few meals with 30-35 grams of fiber.

Here’s why you need the high fiber to turn your colon polyps into a state where they could shrink and disappear. When you eat a lot of raw vegetables and fruits day after day for a few weeks, your stools will contain a lot of the chemical called butyrate, which is an organic acid. Don't get butyrate mixed up with a food supplement called Butyrex™ .

When the butyrate is present at a higher level than usual in your intestines and colon, according to the May 2009 issue of Total Wellness  newsletter, it causes a reaction that scientists call redifferentiation. The word, redifferentiation in biology might also imply that if your polyps were just beginning to turn cancerous, redifferentiation could help the cells, in some cases, to go back to their normal state.

The term redifferentiation also means to return to a specialized condition in order to perform a specific function after a period of having been doing a non-specific activity. Butyrate is a fatty acid. It comes from unabsorbed dietary fiber that has been bacterially fermented in the gut, and is also found in cow’s milk or butter. How butyrate works is by metabolizing fiber in the colon. It helps produce the energy necessary for the health of the large intestine. See The Analyst site to learn more details about what butyrate does. 

According to The Analyst, "Butyrate, a fatty acid, comes from two dietary sources. First, it is one of the metabolic end products of unabsorbed dietary carbohydrate that has been bacterially fermented in the gut. Butyrate is the single biggest metabolite of fiber. Second, the only direct source in the diet is from butter, which contains 3% butyrate. Adequate amounts of butyrate are necessary for the health of the large intestine cells."

When you ask your doctor a question about whether a butyrate-based product will prevent your colon polyps from turning to cancer, what do you think your doctor's answer might be? Some scientific studies have shown that you even can increase your butyrate with a food supplement called Butyrex™ . For example, Butyrex™ from T.E. Neesby, a dietary supplement provided by Jigsaw Health, and other online supplement sellers, is a butyrate complex that helps metabolize fiber in the colon for a healthier gastrointestinal system.

See the study titled "Dietary Fiber and colorectal adenoma in a colorectal cancer early detection program." Peters, U, et al, Lancet, 361: 1491-95, 2003. The findings reported, "High intakes of dietary fibre were associated with a lower risk of colorectal adenoma, after adjustment for potential dietary and non-dietary risk factors."

"Participants in the highest quintile of dietary fibre intake had a 27% (95% CI 14—38, ptrend=0·002) lower risk of adenoma than those in the lowest quintile. The inverse association was strongest for fibre from grains and cereals and from fruits. Risks were similar for advanced and non-advanced adenoma."

"Risk of rectal adenoma was not significantly associated with fibre intake." How do you as a consumer interpret the findings? The study noted, "Dietary fibre, particularly from grains, cereals, and fruits, was associated with decreased risk of distal colon adenoma." (The Lancet, Volume 361, Issue 9368, Pages 1491 - 1495, 3 May 2003).

Butyrex™  is considered part of a calcium supplement, to be taken with each meal. Its purpose is to help people with severely compromised digestion. Yet Butyrex also is used to help those with autism. At the Enzymes and Autism yahoo group,  Butyrex™ has been mentioned there as being able to purge ammonia. This news also is of interest to people with leaky gut.

See the Aeonpi site.  Also, at a mercury toxicity help site called Moondragon Birthing Services, Butyrex™ is recommended for digestion and Gall Bladder Support for Autism - Liver and gallbladder congestion are major issues in states of toxicity.

At Dr. Jonathan V. Wright’s Nutrition & Healing publication  there's an article online published in September 2004, on page 8 that answers a query regarding intestinal metaplasia. The article notes that “Although there's no way to say for sure, there's evidence suggesting that calcium-magnesium butyrate and retinoic acid, a natural form of vitamin A, may help reverse metaplasia. Calcium-magnesium butyrate is available as a product called Butyrex.”

The article explains, “I usually recommend taking one capsule three limes per day. Retinoic acid is available only by prescription, so you'll need help from a compounding pharmacist and a physician skilled and knowledgeable in nutritional medicine to get it and to determine what dose might be best for you.” The excellent nutrition and healing publication article also appears online as a PDF file.

Some doctors prescribe folic acid to prevent polyps. But there are conflicting studies, some showing cancer rates increasing when folic acid is added to flour used in several third-world countries, and other studies showing that a steady dose of folic acid keeps colon cells from developing cancers.

Which studies can you believe on folic acid? There’s a folic acid product called Folixor on the market. Explore the research. Some people can’t absorb folic acid because they have a specific gene variation and must take folate in the active form as it comes in food or is taken from whole food products that say on the label that the folate is in the active form.

According to the Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Naturopathic Medicine's site, "Senate Bill (SB) 907 (Statutes of 2003) established the Bureau of Naturopathic Medicine within the Department of Consumer Affairs. The Bureau will administer the Naturopathic Doctors Act. This law specifies various standards for the licensure and regulation of naturopathic medicine that the Bureau will enforce."

Alternative Health Resources to Research

American College for Advancement
in Medicine (ACAM)

American Academy of Environmental
Medicine (AAEMl

International College of
Integrative Medicine (ICIM)

Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureau of Naturopathic Medicine

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