DVMs take part in calcium study

Boston-Veterinarians were one of the health professionals represented in a major study on use of calcium and risks of colon cancer.

The Harvard University study looked at calcium intake from dairy sources and from calcium supplements in two large samples of people: about 47,000 male dentists, podiatrists, pharmacists, optometrists, osteopaths and veterinarians, and about 88,000 female registered nurses.

The results of the study conclude: Increasing your calcium intake may reduce the risk of cancer in the distal side of the colon.

"We found that a moderate intake of 700 milligrams to 800 milligrams of calcium per day may decrease the risk of left-sided colon cancer in both men and women," says Dr. Kana Wu, lead author of what she calls a preliminary study, and a research fellow at Harvard University's School of Public Health.

Individuals who had the increased calcium in their diets showed a 40 percent to 50 percent lower risk of developing this type of colon cancer, compared with those who were taking less than 500 milligrams of calcium daily.

Intakes higher than 700 or 800 milligrams, however, didn't show the same protective effect.