Vitamin D supplements could ease irritable bowel syndrome

Vitamin D supplements could ease painful Irritable Bowel Syndrome IBS symptoms. Scientists from the University's Department of Oncology and Metabolism reviewed and integrated all available research on vitamin D and IBS. The study showed a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in IBS patients. They also assessed the possible benefits of vitamin D supplements on IBS symptoms. Their findings suggested supplements may help to ease symptoms which can include abdominal pain, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. Vitamin D was shown to have the most benefit on quality of life in IBS.

People with IBS should have their vitamin D levels tested and a large majority of them would benefit from supplements. IBS is a poor condition which impacts severely on the quality of life of sufferers. There is no single known cause and no cure. IBS is a debilitating functional disorder of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Little is known about why and how the condition develops, although it is known that diet and stress can make symptoms worse.

Vitamin D is essential for general wellbeing, including bone health, immune function, mental health as well as gut health. Vitamin D inadequacy can be remedied relatively easily with supplements if diagnosed. Low vitamin D status has already been associated with the risk of colorectal cancer and has been implicated in inflammatory bowel disease.
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Broccoli can prevent colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, A team of researchers in the NUS Medicine lab of Associate Professor Matthew Chang have found a way to turn a humble bacteria and vegetables into a targeted system that seeks out and kills colorectal cancer cells. The study, which was led by Dr Chun-Loong Ho, will be published online today and in the current issue of Nature Biomedical Engineering.

At the heart of this cancer-targeting system is an engineered form of E. coli Nissle, a harmless type of bacteria found in the gut. Using genetic techniques, the team engineered the bacteria into a probiotic that attached to the surface of colorectal cancer cells and secreted an enzyme to convert a substance found in cruciferous vegetables (like broccoli) into a potent anticancer agent.

The idea was for the cancer cells in the vicinity to take up this anticancer agent and be killed. Normal cells cannot do this conversion, nor are they affected by the toxin, thus the system should be targeted only to colorectal cancer cells. True enough, the mixture of engineered probiotics with a broccoli extract or water containing the dietary substance killed more than 95% of colorectal cancer cells in a dish.

 Moreover, the mixture had no effect on cells from other types of cancer such as breast and stomach cancer. Strikingly, the probiotics-veggie combination reduced tumour numbers by 75% in mice with colorectal cancer. Also, the tumours that were detected in these mice were 3 times smaller than those in control mice which were not fed with the mixture.

These probiotics could be used in two ways: as prevention, to clean up the cancer cells remaining after surgical removal of tumours. Colorectal cancer patients may be able to take the probiotics as a dietary supplement along with their broccoli to prevent colorectal cancer or to reduce recurrence after cancer surgery.
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Identical twins share similar genes

An international group of researchers has discovered a new phenomenon that occurs in identical twins: independent of their identical genes, they share an additional level of molecular similarity that influences their biological characteristics. The researchers propose a mechanism to explain the extra level of similarity and show that it is associated with risk of cancer in adulthood.

The characteristics of an individual depend not only on genes inherited from the parents but also on epigenetics, which refers to molecular mechanisms that determine which genes will be turned on or off in different cell types. If we view one's DNA as the computer hardware, epigenetics is the software that determines what the computer can do," said senior author Dr. Robert A. Waterland, associate professor of pediatrics - nutrition at the USDA/ARS Children's Nutrition Research Center and Texas Children's Hospital and of molecular and human genetics at Baylor College of Medicine.

Epigenetics works by adding or removing chemical tags to genes to mark which ones should be used in different cell types. One of the better studied tags, known to play an important role in development. In large group of identical and fraternal twin pairs, Waterland and his colleagues studied a group of genes called metastable epialleles. Previous work indicated that methyl tags are randomly added to metastable epialleles during early embryonic development and maintained throughout life.

The patterns of methyl tags added to metastable epialleles would be equally random in identical twins and fraternal twins, we found that the methylation patterns matched almost perfectly in identical twins, a degree of similarity that could not be explained by the twins sharing the same DNA. Identical twins are formed when the very early embryo - essentially a ball of cells - splits into two parts, and each continues to develop into a separate human being.

Twins inherit an intimate molecular memory of their shared developmental legacy as a single individual. On the other hand, genes at which epigenetic markers are set after the embryo splits can have greater epigenetic differences between the two twins. Epigenetic supersimilarity seems to occur in a relatively small group of genes, but, as the researchers discovered, many of these are associated with cancer. To test whether these epigenetic markers might affect risk of cancer, the scientists in Houston teamed up with cancer epidemiologists running the Cancer Council Victoria's Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study in Melbourne, Australia.

Analyzing peripheral blood DNA samples from healthy adults show that methylation at epigenetically supersimilar genes is associated with risk of subsequently developing several types of cancer, including lung, prostate and colorectal cancer. This study shows that, at the epigenetic level, identical twins are more similar to each other than previously recognized. Epigenetic supersimilarity affects risk of disease
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Clenpiq for Colonoscopy Prep

Food and Drug Administration FDA has granted approval of Clenpiq (sodium picosulfate, magnesium oxide, and anhydrous citric acid) oral solution for cleansing of the colon in adults undergoing a colonoscopy. Colonoscopies can reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer and deaths associated with this disease. Successful bowel prep is critical for gastroenterologists to clearly see the inside of the colon during a colonoscopy.

The sheer volume of a prescribed bowel prep solution can be a barrier for some patients to adequately complete their prep regimen, leading to suboptimal visualization of the colon, A ready-to-drink, low volume colonoscopy prep in a pre-mixed oral solution is an excellent start to prepare patients for this important procedure to detect and prevent colorectal cancer.

Clenpiq is a ready-to-drink cranberry-flavored, dual-acting, combination of sodium picosulfate, a stimulant laxative, and magnesium oxide and anhydrous citric acid, which forms magnesium citrate, an osmotic laxative indicated for cleansing of the colon as a preparation for colonoscopy in adults.

Clenpiq is contraindicated in the following conditions: patients with severe renal impairment (creatnine clearance less than 30mL/minute), gastrointestinal obstruction or ileus, bowel perforation, toxic colitis or toxic megacolon, gastric retention, or in patients with a known hypersensitivity to any of the ingredients in Clenpiq.

Patients should be advised to hydrate adequately (before, during and after use of Clenpiq), and post-colonoscopy lab tests should be considered if a patient develops significant vomiting or signs of dehydration, including orthostatic hypotension, after taking Clenpiq. Patients with electrolyte abnormalities should have them corrected before treatment. The most common adverse reactions in those trials were nausea, headache, and vomiting.
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Links between poor diet and untimely death

Inadequate nutrition and unhealthy eating habits are associated with untimely death. Many people are eating a diet which consists of too much salt and saturated fat, and less fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains.

Western diet comprises of processed foods that have little or no nutrients, it is linked to hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, colorectal cancer and hepatitis. Low intake of healthy foods is the major cause of mortality, poor nutrition habits can be a behavioral health issue, because nutrition and diet affect feeling, thinking and behavior. Poor diet results in lower strength.

According to National Institutes of Health, hypertension is one of the results of poor nutrition. Eating too much junk food, fried food, salt, sugar, dairy products, caffeine and refined food can cause hypertension.

Poor nutrition can lead to high cholesterol, which is the major cause of heart disease. High cholesterol foods contain large amount of saturated fat. Ice cream, Eggs, Cheese, Butter and Beef can cause high cholesterol. Diabetes also can be linked to poor diet.

A stroke is caused by plaque that builds up in a blood vessel, then breaks free as a clot that moves to the brain and creates a blockage can be linked to poor nutrition. Strokes damage the brain and impair functioning, sometimes leading to death. Foods high in salt, fat and cholesterol increase the risk for stroke.

Different types of cancer like bladder, colon and breast cancers, may be caused by poor dietary habits. Avoid foods that contains refined sugars, nitrates and hydrogenated oils. Eat fruits and vegetables everyday to remain healthy and avoid untimely death.
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Mvasi drug for cancer treatment

Mvasi is the first biosimilar approved for the treatment of multiple types of cancer. The is approved for the treatment of adult patients with colorectal, lung, brain, kidney and cervical cancers.

Common side effects of Mvasi include nose bleeds, headache, high blood pressure, inflammation of the nasal cavity, high levels of protein in the urine, taste alteration, dry skin, rectal bleeding, excessive tear production back pain and skin irritation.

Serious side effects of Mvasi include holes in or abnormal connection between two organs, blood clot formation, hypertension, problems in brain function or structure, high levels of protein in the urine and ovarian failure.
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How to prevent colorectal cancer

The colon and rectum are parts of the digestive system, they make up the large intestine, most of the large intestine is made up of the colon.
Colorectal cancer is a cancer that starts in the colon or the rectum.

Physical activity protects against colon cancer. Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers, it is possible to prevent the cancer by eating healthy diet. Diet and lifestyle have a major role in colorectal cancer prevention

Foods containing fiber decreases the risk of this cancer. People who are more physically active have a lower risk of colon cancer compared to those who do very little physical activity.

Maintaining healthy weight, avoiding smoking and drinking of alcohol, proper exercise, limiting red and processed meat and eating more whole grains and fiber would lower the risk.

Eating whole grains daily, such as brown rice or whole-wheat bread, eating foods rich in vitamin C like oranges, strawberries and spinach can reduce colorectal cancer risk. Hot dogs, bacon and other processed meats consumed regularly increase the risk of the cancer.
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