College Station, Texas – The consumption of dried plums is a natural way to reduce the risk of having colon cancer, as suggested in a new study carried out by Dr. Nancy Turner, researcher and professor from Texas A&M University, College Station, colleagues.
After testing it on rats, they found that dried plums help maintain the microbiota on the colon. The dried plums contain phenolic compounds, crucial in cancer prevention and treatment.
Dr. Turner said that this compounds, “Have multiple effects on our health, including their ability to serve as antioxidants that can neutralize the oxidant effect of free radicals that can damage our DNA,” according to Medical News.
The researchers believe that phenolic compounds can boost the metabolism of the microbiota, making the digestion process healthier. Colon cancer, in a very plain way to see it, appears when the cells can’t recover faster than they die. Damages to the microbiota turn into intestinal inflammation, and when they get recurrent, they can develop the colon cancer.
The dried plums considerably reduced the amount of “aberrant crypts, aberrant crypt foci, and high-multiplicity aberrant crypt foci,” according to the study. Those are found in the colon and rectum and are one of the early signs of colon cancer, proving that the phenolic compounds do the job preventing cancer.
“From this study we were able to conclude that dried plums did, in fact, appear to promote retention of beneficial microbiota and microbial metabolism throughout the colon, which was associated with a reduced incidence of precancerous lesions,” said Dr. Turner to Medical News Today.
Colon Cancer
According to statistics, nearly 50,000 people die in the U.S. from colon cancer, and the numbers are expected to raise. Cancer kills around 600,000 people nationwide according to the stats provided by the Center to Disease Control and Prevention.
Colon cancer symptoms include: change in bowel habits, rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, weakness and unexplained weight loss. It can also be inherited, according to the Mayo Clinic, meaning that it doesn’t make cancer unavoidable, but it rises the chances. People older than 50, with a history of suffering from colorectal polyps, inflammatory issues on their intestine, diabetes, alcoholism, smoking, and obesity are more likely to develop colon cancer.
If the cancer is on its early stages, the patient can go through surgery to remove it before it extends, although it has to be evaluated with the doctor to prevent risks. In addition to that, the popular-known methods as chemotherapy and radiotherapy can also help relieve the symptoms.
Source: Medical News Today