Calcium & colons.Calcium or milk may lower the risk of colon colon, in anatomy colon, in anatomy: see intestine. colon, in punctuation colon, in writing: see punctuation. colon Segment that makes up most of the large intestine. or rectal cancer Rectal Cancer Definition The rectum is the portion of the large bowel that lies in the pelvis, terminating at the anus. Cancer of the rectum is the disease characterized by the development of malignant cells in the lining or epithelium of the rectum. , says an analysis that pooled data from 10 studies on a total of more than 500,000 people. People who consumed at least 1,000 mg a day of calcium (from food and/or supplements) had about a 20 percent lower risk of colon or rectal cancer than those who got less than 500 mg a day. And those who drank one or more glasses of milk a day had a 15 percent lower risk than those who averaged less than a quarter of a glass a day. What to do: It's too early to know if milk reduces the risk of colon or rectal cancer, but other studies have found that calcium does. Shoot for 1,000 mg a day (if you're under 50) and 1,200 mg a day (if you're older), from food and supplements combined. But don't go overboard o·ver·board adv. Over or as if over the side of a boat or ship. Idiom: go overboard To go to extremes, especially as a result of enthusiasm. , especially if you're a man. A recent study suggests that more than 1,200 mg a day may increase the risk of prostate cancer prostate cancer, cancer originating in the prostate gland. Prostate cancer is the leading malignancy in men in the United States and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death in men. . J. Nat. Cancer Inst. 96: 1015, 2004. |
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