Selenium & colon cancer.Selenium selenium (səlē`nēəm), nonmetallic chemical element; symbol Se; at. no. 34; at. wt. 78.96; m.p. 217°C;; b.p. about 685°C;; sp. gr. 4.81 at 20°C;; valence −2, +4, or +6. may reduce the risk of colon cancer, say researchers who re-analyzed three trials on more than 1,700 people who had already had one precancerous precancerous /pre·can·cer·ous/ (-kan´ser-us) pertaining to a pathologic process that tends to become malignant. pre·can·cer·ous adj. colon polyp. The studies were designed to see if wheat bran and other high-fiber foods could prevent new polyps Polyps A tumor with a small flap that attaches itself to the wall of various vascular organs such as the nose, uterus and rectum. Polyps bleed easily, and if they are suspected to be cancerous they should be surgically removed. (they didn't). When researchers checked blood selenium levels, they found that people who had higher levels when the studies began had a 34 percent lower risk of precancerous colon polyps than those with lower levels. What to do: The Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) on 35,000 men--which is looking primarily at prostate cancer--will also examine selenium's impact on colon cancer risk. Until the study ends in 2013, it's sensible to take a multivitamin mul·ti·vi·ta·min adj. Containing many vitamins. n. A preparation containing many vitamins. multivitamin containing the Daily Value for selenium (70 micrograms). (Levels in foods vary depending on how much selenium is in the soil where they're grown.) J. Nat. Cancer Inst. 96: 1645, 1669, 2004. |
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