Beating the gene pool

We’ve known for over a decade that certain kinds of cancer seem to run in families. In many ways, that knowledge is helpful. But a genetic predisposition to cancer can also leave you feeling doomed.

That is certainly understandable. But more and more, we’re learning that a family history doesn’t mean your fate is cast in stone. There are many things you can do to mitigate that genetic risk – or even eliminate it completely.

New research is reinforcing that point, in regard to one of the most deadly types of cancer with one of the strongest genetic connections. I’m talking about colon cancer; studies have shown that people with a parent, brother, or sister with colon cancer are TWICE as likely as the average person to develop the disease. But a new study published this month in a leading cancer journal shows that there are ways everyone can protect themselves from colon cancer – and that even people with a family history can cut their risk by as much as HALF in just a few simple steps.
Nutrients can erase increased risk

The new research, published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, and Prevention, extrapolated data from the landmark Nurses’ Health Study, a huge cohort of female registered nurses that have completed detailed health and lifestyle questionnaires every two years since 1976. To assess the impact of diet and supplement use on colon cancer, the researchers analyzed the participant’s responses to a food frequency questionnaire, which assessed diet habits and supplement use, and compared it against family histories and individual incidence rates of colon cancer among the participants.

Out of the 88,758 participants who were eligible to participate in this analysis, 6,969 reported that a father, mother, sister or brother had been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. There were also 535 cases of invasive colon cancer among the eligible participants.

The researchers categorized the women based on their family history and their response to the food frequency questionnaire. And when they analyzed the data, it revealed some powerful findings.

Just take a look at this: Participants with a family history of colon cancer were able to slash their colon cancer risk in half just by regularly consuming more than 400 micrograms of folate (also known as folic acid) each day. (As a point of reference, the U.S. RDA for folate is 400 mcg.) Just think about that: a daily dose of folic acid effectively erased the increased risk that these people live with. With just this one small step, they leveled the field.
Food sources may not be enough – protect yourself with supplements

The researchers also found that among women with a family history, the regular consumption of multivitamins cut their inherited risk in half. Granted, there was a lot of overlap between these two variables; the authors note that most of the women in the >400 mcg/d folate category (84 %) reached that level with the help of supplements. But the data indicate that folate from supplements is just as beneficial as folate from foods – and that supplements can be powerful tools in building good health.

And yet another nutrient appeared as a preventative tool against colon cancer: methionine, a sulfur amino acid which plays a role in regulating the availability of folic acid. In this study, women with a family history brought their risk down close to regular levels when they consumed more than 2.2 grams of methionine daily.

Both of these nutrients are available in foods that we eat and in supplement forms. Spinach and asparagus are all good sources of folate. Methionine is present in sunflower seeds, fish, beans, garlic, and onions. And both are widely available in health food stores and from online vitamin suppliers.

This study shows the amazing affects that dietary changes and supplement use can have on the genetic risks associated with colon cancer. But even if you don’t have a family history, you can still put this information to good use. Even among the women in the study with no family history, high levels of folate consumption offered protection against cancer. And we know how important folate and other B-vitamins are to other important aspects of our health.

The real lesson to be learned here is that a family history doesn’t necessarily seal your fate. Turning the right information into action may help you overcome a hereditary predisposition.

Source: Cancer Epidemology, Biomarkers and Prevention 2002;11:227-234

Copyright 1997-2002 by Institute of Health Sciences, L.L.C.