Does Taking Antioxidants Prevent Colon Polyps?

Colon cancer is the fourth most common cancer diagnosed in the United States. It’s usually found after the age of fifty, although the incidence of colon cancer is rising among younger people for unknown reasons. The good news about colon cancer is that it frequently starts as a colon polyp and if the polyp can be removed before it becomes a cancer, the disease can be prevented. An even better way to lower the risk of colon cancer is to keep colon polyps from occurring in the first place. There may be good news on that front. A new study recently shows that taking an antioxidant rich supplement can reduce the risk of colon polyps.

A Study

This new study involved more than four hundred people between the ages of twenty-five and seventy-five who were given either an antioxidant supplement consisting of the antioxidant vitamins A,C, E along with zinc and selenomethionnine or a placebo. All of the participants had previously undergone surgery to remove polyps of the colon or rectum. The results? At the end of the study period, the group who took the antioxidant supplement to prevent colon polyps had a forty percent reduction in new colon polyp formation. This effect persisted for a period of thirteen years after the study ended. The good news is the antioxidant supplement prevented formation of a type of polyps called adenomatous polyps that could eventually develop into cancer.

What Does This Study Mean?

This study looks encouraging, particularly for people who are at high risk of colon polyps because of genetics. Still, the results should be approached with caution since some studies have shown that taking supplemental antioxidants at high doses actually increases the risk of certain types of cancer – most notably lung cancer among smokers. In addition, the selenomethionnine used in this supplement is an amino acid that contains selenium and selenium can be toxic at high doses. It’s a positive that taking antioxidant supplements reduces the risk of colon polyps, but it’s not such a good thing if it increases the risk of another type of cancer.

Should You Take Antioxidants for Prevention of Colon Polyps?

Antioxidant vitamins may very well reduce the incidence of colon polyps, but it’s safest to get them from food sources until more is known about the safety of taking antioxidant supplements. People who smoke should be particularly cautious about taking them. The good news? Vitamins A,C, and E are found naturally in a variety of fruits and vegetables. Selenium is found naturally in nuts, legumes, tuna, poultry, and mushrooms. Until more is known about the safety of antioxidant supplements, reduce your risk of colon polyps the natural way – through diet.