Even if you are taking calcium supplements, it is important to see your doctor on a regular basis for routine colon health screenings, especially if you have had colon polyps. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. A study shows that calcium supplements may have benefits that go beyond bones. The clinical study, published in an issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, showed that men and women with a history of colorectal adenomas who took calcium supplements daily reduced their risk of recurrence of colorectal adenomas, or polyps.
Polyps are small, tumor-like growths that can develop on the surfaces of the colon and rectum.
They are known to be precursors of colorectal cancer. Eight hundred and thirty-two patients were included in the study, which was part of the Calcium Polyp Prevention Study, funded by the National Institutes of Health. Over the course of the four-year study, patients who took calcium supplements had a significant decrease in the risk of recurrence of any adenoma and a greater decrease in the overall number of adenomas. Adenomas may develop into colorectal cancer. In 1998, colorectal cancer was responsible for approximately 28,600 deaths in women and 27,900 deaths in men-about 10 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States.