How Family History Affects Colon Cancer Risk

Just as you inherited your parent’s physical features, you may have inherited their susceptibility for colorectal cancer.

If this type of cancer runs in your family, you've probably heard your parents or other relatives talk about it. You may have learned that family members — either your immediate family (first degree) or your aunts, uncles and cousins (second degree) — have had polyps. Or, you know that certain cancers, such as breast, ovarian and uterine, seem to run in your family.

The fact that certain family members have had some form of cancer means that you may have inherited that risk as well. If possible, find out who in your family was affected, and how. Sharing that medical history with your doctor may go a long way in helping to prevent cancer, determine your screening frequency for it, and decide on the best possible treatment if you do get the disease.

Colorectal cancer specialists have identified high-risk populations to help families decide when screening is needed. Primary characteristics include:

• Patients with one first-degree relative who was diagnosed with colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma (polyps) when younger than age 60
• Patients with two first-degree relatives diagnosed with colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma at any age
• Patients with one first-degree relative diagnosed with colorectal cancer or advanced adenoma at age 60 or older
• Patients with two or more second-degree relatives who were diagnosed with advanced adenoma

In 20 to 30 percent of colorectal cancer cases, a cancer gene begins with the patient, so family history may not be helpful. Some people don't have large families so they don't have a family history to consult. But in 70 to 80 percent of colorectal cancer cases, family history is extremely important.

Experts estimate that between 10 and 15 percent of all familial colorectal cancers developed from an inherited risk. These are the genetic disorders commonly tested in families with a history of colorectal or other cancers. Because these are general descriptions, talk with your doctor about specific characteristics and testing.

Lynch syndrome

One of the most common disorders that occurs in families is Lynch syndrome. It can cause colon cancer to occur in people before age 50 and can be passed on to children.

People with Lynch syndrome — among the most common hereditary cancer syndromes — may need frequent colonoscopies, as often as every one to two years, starting at age 35. It's estimated that as many as one in every 300 individuals may be carriers of an alteration in a gene associated with Lynch syndrome.

Familial adenomatous polyposis

This inherited disorder is known to run in families and may affect as many as half of the members. Patients with familial adenomatous polyposis develop hundreds and even thousands of polyps in the colon. It often is detected in people in their teens and early 20s.

Peutz-Jeghers syndrome

This disorder is characterized by noncancerous polyps that can increase the risk of developing certain types of cancer. People with Peutz-Jeghers syndrome have pigmentation defects that appear as small, dark-colored spots on the mouth, hands and feet.

Ashkenazi Jewish descent

Jewish people who are Ashkenazi, or of eastern European decent, have a higher risk for colorectal cancer than other ethnic groups.

In the past, colorectal cancer specialists looked primarily at the patient and the patient's family history as powerful indicators of colorectal cancer risk. Today, specialists are identifying genes that may increase the risk of the disease in families.

That research is making a difference. Researchers are studying whole panels of genes. When they find a suspicious gene in a patient, the patient's family is tested as well.

If you have the slightest concern that you might have inherited a family gene, get screened. 

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New Study Establishes Strong Link Between Antibiotics Use And Colon Cancer Risk

Taking antibiotic drugs may raise the risk of developing colon cancer five to 10 years down the line, according to a new study of more than 40,000 cancer cases in Sweden. 

Past studies hinted that antibiotics can cause lasting changes to the gut microbiome — the community of microbes that live in the digestive tract — and that these changes may be linked to a heightened risk of colon cancer. Now, in the largest epidemiological study to ever explore this link, researchers report that the heightened risk may be specific to cancers in the so-called proximal colon, the part of the colon that connects to the small intestine and starts in the lower-right abdomen. 

"It's very clear, when we looked at the data, that it's very confined to the proximal, or right-sided colon," senior author Sophia Harlid, a cancer researcher at Umeå University in Sweden, told Live Science. And in fact, the antibiotic-related cancer risk was greatest at the start of the proximal colon, called the "ascending colon," which extends from the lower- to upper-right abdomen.

People who took antibiotics for more than six months bore the highest cancer risk, according to the research, published Wednesday (Sept. 1) in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Compared with people who'd taken no antibiotics, these individuals had a 17% higher chance of developing cancer in the ascending colon. 

That said, even short courses of antibiotics carried an associated cancer risk, albeit a far smaller one than what was seen with the months-long regimens, the team found. This data may provide yet another reason to rein in the overprescription of antibiotics, besides preventing the emergence of antibiotic-resistant superbugs, Harlid said. 

These new findings echo the results of a similar, but smaller, U.K.-based study, published in 2019 in the journal Gut. The Swedish study "came right in line with other data that was emerging … which actually improves confidence that there's an association," Dr. Cynthia Sears, senior author of the U.K. study, who was not involved in the newest research, told Live Science.

It's important to note that these studies only identify a correlation; they don't show that antibiotics directly cause the subsequent colon cancer, said Sears, who is a professor of medicine and oncology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Bloomberg School of Public Health. That said, there are theories as to how the drugs may make the proximal gut more vulnerable to cancer growth.

"Our thinking is that you're disrupting the balance of the microbiota," and this may allow infectious bugs like Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae to gain prominence where they'd usually be outcompeted by other microbes, Sears said. This in turn may ramp up inflammation in the colon, generating reactive chemicals that could damage DNA and generate tumors. In addition, the inner lining of the intestine may then become more permeable, allowing bacteria to infiltrate the colon walls and join together in slimy structures called biofilms. Studies suggest that almost all proximal colon cancers — nearly 90% — are associated with such biofilms, Sears said.

The proximal colon may be particularly vulnerable to these changes because it endures the greatest spillover of antibiotic drugs from the small intestine, Sears said. Then, as the drugs move through the colon, their molecules steadily break down. That said, these potential mechanisms still need to be studied further, but for now, the new study strengthens the case that some link exists between antibiotics and colon cancer, she said.

The new study used data from the Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry to identify tens of thousands of colorectal cancer patients who had been diagnosed between 2010 and 2016. Data from the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register allowed the team to track these patients' antibiotic use between 2005 to 2016, to see if any patterns emerged. They also compared the cancer patients to more than 200,000 cancer-free people from the wider Swedish population.

While the team uncovered a clear link between antibiotics use and cancer in the ascending colon, they found no such link to cancers in any part of the distal colon or rectum.  

The team wanted to pin down why the drugs might drive cancer in the proximal colon. To do so, they searched the prescribed drug register for methenamine hippurate — a medicine that helps prevent urinary tract infections in people who get them frequently. 

Although it has antibacterial effects, the drug doesn't alter the gut microbiome because it can only be activated by the high acidity of urine, Harlid explained. So based on the theory that antibiotics raise the risk of cancer by messing with gut bugs, methenamine hippurate should not be linked to the same increased risk. And in sifting through all their data, the team found that this was the case: only antibiotics that affect gut bugs, not methenamine hippurate, showed a link to colon cancer.

These results further support the antibiotics-cancer link, but the study still has its limitations. For instance, the datasets didn't include any information on individuals' diets, smoking habits or alcohol use, all of which can also raise the risk of colon cancer. Similarly, the authors could not determine which patients might be taking antibiotics for an underlying condition like inflammatory bowel disease, also linked to colon cancer. In addition, the Swedish Prescribed Drug Register provides information on drug prescriptions, but cannot reflect whether individuals finished their complete course of antibiotics, for instance. 

But because the study is so large, it "definitely hints in the right direction," Harlid said. 

In a few years time, the team hopes to perform an even larger follow-up study, when more data has accumulated, and they're interested in seeing whether specific colon cancer subtypes show a stronger association with antibiotics. Cancers can be split into subtypes based on the behavior of their tumor cells and what genetic mutations they carry, and these subtle differences affect where the cancer grows and how it responds to treatments, according to the National Cancer Institute.

Meanwhile, Sears and her colleagues are currently collecting data on the microbiomes of individuals with early-stage colon cancer, to pinpoint specific gut bugs that are unusually depleted or overgrown. As scientists continue to study why microbes make a difference in colon cancer, for now, doctors should be selective in when and how they prescribe antibiotics, Sears said. 

  

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Causes, Symptoms And Treatment Of Mouth Ulcers

A mouth ulcer is the loss or erosion of part of the delicate tissue that lines the inside of the mouth (mucous membrane). 

There are many things that cause mouth ulcers. The most common cause is injury (such as accidentally biting the inside of your cheek). Other causes include aphthous ulceration, certain medications, skin rashes in the mouth, viral, bacterial and fungal infections, chemicals and some medical conditions. 

An ulcer that won’t heal may be a sign of mouth cancer.

In most cases, mouth ulcers are harmless and resolve by themselves within 10 to 14 days without the need for treatment. 

Aphthous ulcers

Aphthous ulcers are recurring ulcers which affect around 20 per cent of the population. Although in most people there is no known cause for aphthous ulcers, in a small number of people these ulcers may be due to an underlying Vitamin B, folate or iron deficiency.

Mouth ulcers that won't heal

See your dentist or doctor if your mouth ulcers don’t clear up within 2 weeks, or if you get them frequently.

It’s important not to ignore an ulcer that you have had for more than 2 weeks, especially if you use tobacco products and drink alcohol regularly. This is because tobacco use and drinking alcohol increase your risk of mouth cancer.

Symptoms of mouth ulcers

The symptoms of a mouth ulcer depend on the cause, but may include:

• One or more painful sores on part of the skin lining the mouth.
• Swollen skin around the sores.
• Problems with chewing or tooth brushing because of the tenderness.
• Irritation of the sores by salty, spicy or sour foods.
• Loss of appetite.

Aphthous ulcers generally occur on the softer mouth lining of the lips, cheeks, sides of the tongue, floor of the mouth, back of the roof of the mouth and around the tonsil area. These ulcers are usually no larger than 5mm. You may develop more than one aphthous ulcer at a time, and sometimes these ulcers are joined together.

Causes of mouth ulcers

Mouth ulcers can be caused by a wide range of factors including:

• Accidentally biting the inside of your cheek.
• Injury from a toothbrush (such as slipping while brushing).
• Constant rubbing against misaligned or sharp/broken teeth.
• Constant rubbing against dentures or braces.
• Burns from eating hot food.
• Irritation from strong antiseptics, such as a mouthwash.
• Viral infections such as the herpes simplex viral infection (cold sore).
• Reaction to certain medications.
• Skin rashes in the mouth (for example, lichen planus).
• Autoimmune diseases.
• Underlying vitamin or iron deficiency.
• Underlying gastrointestinal disease such as Crohn’s disease or coeliac disease.
• Mouth cancer.
• Ulcers may become worse during periods of stress, illness or extreme fatigue.

When to seek treatment for mouth ulcers

If ulcers are interfering with your normal daily activities, or have persisted for 2 weeks, see your dentist or an oral medicine specialist.

In some cases, you may need blood tests if it’s suspected that you have an underlying deficiency (such as an iron, folate or vitamin B deficiency) or an inflammatory condition.

If your oral health professional can’t determine the cause of your mouth ulcers, or if the ulcers don’t respond to the normal treatments, you may need to have a biopsy of part of the ulcer and some of the surrounding tissue. A biopsy is a procedure where a tissue sample is taken for examination and diagnosis.

Treatment for mouth ulcers

Most mouth ulcers are usually harmless and resolve by themselves within 10 to 14 days. Other types of mouth ulcers, such as the aphthous variety or those caused by herpes simplex infection, need topical treatment (such as a mouthwash, ointment or gel).

It’s not possible to speed up the recovery of ulcers, but the symptoms can be managed and the risk of complications reduced.

Treatment options for mouth ulcers include:

• Avoid spicy and sour foods until the ulcers heal.
• Drink plenty of fluids.
• Keep your mouth clean.
• Apply antiseptic gel to the ulcers.
• Regularly rinse your mouth out with warm, slightly salted water, keeping the rinse in your mouth for up to 4 minutes at a time.
• Use an alcohol-free medicated (preferably containing chlorhexidine gluconate) mouthwash twice daily.
• Use a topical alcohol-free steroid mouthwash or ointment – this is generally prescribed by your dentist or oral medicine specialist.
• If required in severe cases, immunosuppressant medication may be prescribed by your oral health professional.

Prevention of mouth ulcers

Mouth ulcers can be avoided in some cases by:

• Brushing your teeth gently with a soft toothbrush, taking care not to slip with the brush.
• Eating a well-balanced and nutritious diet.
• Making sure that underlying medical conditions are well-controlled.

 

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Fats Deficiency: Signs That Show You Don't Have Enough Fats In Your Body (2)

CONTINUED FROM YESTERDAY…

Vitamin deficiencies

Your body needs dietary fat to help it absorb fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E, and K. Not getting enough of these essential nutrients can, among other things, increase your risk of:

• night blindness
• infertility
• swollen gums
• easy bruising
• dry hair
• loose teeth
• depression
• muscle pain
• blood clots under your nails

Dermatitis (skin inflammation)

ResearchTrusted Source has found that fat is an essential part of the structure of your skin cells and helps your skin maintain its moisture barrier. If you don’t get enough dietary fat, it could affect the health of your skin and lead to dermatitis.

“Dermatitis” is a general term to describe inflamed skin. Dermatitis caused by a dietary fat deficiency often presents itself as dry, scaly rashes.

Slow wound healing

According to researchTrusted Source, your body needs fat to create many important molecules that control your body’s inflammatory response. Low dietary fat intake could disrupt this response and lead to slow wound healing.

Deficiencies in fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin C and vitamin D can also cause wounds to heal more slowly than they should.

Hair loss

Fatty molecules in your body called prostaglandins promote hair growth. Consuming too little essential fat could change your hair texture, and researchTrusted Source suggests it could also increase the risk of hair loss on your scalp or eyebrows.

Frequent sickness

Severely restricting fat intake can weaken your immune system and lead to more frequent illnesses.

Your body needs dietary fat to produce several molecules that stimulate the activity of your immune cells.

Essential fatty acids are also important for the growth of immune cells. In particular, your body needs the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid and the omega-6 fatty acid linoleic acid for this purpose.

Tips for creating a more balanced diet

The USDA recommends getting up to 35 percent of your calories from fat. This means:

• up to 97 grams of fat per day in a 2,500-calorie diet
• up to 66 grams of fat per day in a 2,000-calorie diet
• around 50 grams of fat per day in a 1,500-calorie diet

But not all fats are created equal. It’s best to avoid eating foods that contain trans fats whenever possible.

It’s fine to include some saturated fats — such as eggs, meat, or dairy — in your diet. But try to get most of your fat intake from monounsaturated and polyunsaturated sources such as:

• olives and olive oil
• nuts and seeds
• fatty fish and fish oil
• avocado

The bottom line

Your body needs dietary fat for many biological processes. If you don’t get enough fat in your diet, you may notice symptoms such as dry rashes, hair loss, a weaker immune system, and issues related to vitamin deficiencies.

To help maintain good health, most of the fats you eat should be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated fats. These fats are typically found in fatty fish, nuts and seeds, olive oil, and avocados. 

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Beware Of Killer Vegetable Oil In The Market, NAFDAC Warns Nigerians

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has warned Nigerians against the consumption of vegetable oil and drugs that are injurious to health.

The Director General of the agency, Professor Mojisola Adeyeye, gave the warning when she flagged off of the sensitization campaign in the North Central zone held in Ilorin on Thursday.

While speaking after the sensitization campaign to major markets and roads in Ilorin metropolis, the NAFDAC boss said the aim was to protect them against negative effects of unwholesome food, fake medical products, harmful cosmetics, poor water and other substandard regulated products.

According to her, some market men and women in the attempt to make profit mixed palm oil with “Azo dye” which is capable of causing cancer.

“If you see any vegetable oil that ‘sleeps’ in that market, that is a potential killer because NAFDAC will never license any vegetable oil with that characteristic.

“They also use sniper on meat, fish and beans to prevent fly from perching and eradicate weevils. Such products are dangerous when they are consumed. The vegetable oil that has been transported with kerosene tanker is hazardous and using potassium bromide to bake bread kills slowly. Consumption of excessive oil and use of formalin on food has its associated health hazards”, she warned.

Represented at the event by the Director, North Central of the agency, Mrs. Bolaji Abayomi, Adeyeye warned on dangers of buying medicines from hawkers, recommending only licensed pharmacies and medicine stores.

She said the campaign intends to address public health challenges such as abuse of Codeine and self-medication, especially among youths.

She encouraged mothers to practise exclusive breastfeeding for two years for good health of their children, adding that low level of exclusive breastfeeding practice by lactating mothers will make the child susceptible to various diseases and low IQ.

  

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Fats Deficiency: Signs That Show You Don't Have Enough Fats In Your Body

Dietary fat tends to have a bad reputation. Despite what you may have heard, eating fat doesn’t make you fat — as long as you eat it in moderation. In fact, fat is an essential part of a balanced diet.

Your body needs dietary fat for many different biological processes. Not getting enough fat can make it harder for your body to function the way it should and can lead to health issues.

In this article, we’ll look at  signs that shows you may not be getting enough fat — in particular, the healthy kind — from the foods you eat. We’ll also explore the role fat plays in your body and how to go about creating a balanced diet.

Why do you need fat in your diet?

Your body needs dietary fat for many biological processes. You wouldn’t be able to live a healthy life without it. Here are some of the essential roles dietary fat plays in your body:

• Helps you absorb vitamins. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning your body can absorb them only when you consume them along with fat. A lack of fat in your diet can cause deficiencies in these vitamins, which can lead to a variety of health issues.
• Supports cell growth. Fat provides structure to the outer membrane of every cell in your body.
• Supports brain and eye health. The omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) help maintain the health of your brain, central nervous system, and retinas. Your body doesn’t make these fatty acids — you can only get them from your diet.
• Wound healing. Essential fatty acids play a key role in wound healing and blood clotting.
• Hormone production. Your body needs dietary fat in order to make specific hormones, including the sex hormones testosterone and estrogen.
• Source of energy. Each gram of fat you consume provides you with about 9 calories of energy. For comparison, each gram of carbohydrate or protein yields only 4 calories of energy.

Types of dietary fat

Dietary fats can be divided into four categories: trans fats, saturated fats, monounsaturated fats, and polyunsaturated fats.

Trans fats

Trans fats, which are found primarily in partially hydrogenated oils, are the least healthy type of fat for your body. Hydrogenated oils are often used to improve the taste and shelf life of processed foods.

Your body doesn’t need trans fats. Eating a lot of this type of fat can raise your risk of heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.

Trans fats may be found in:

• processed foods (such as microwave popcorn, frozen pizzas, and crackers)
• baked goods (such as store-bought pie crusts, cakes, and cookies)
• fried foods (such as doughnuts and french fries)
• margarine and vegetable shortening

To find out if a food product contains trans fats, you can read the ingredient list on the package. If partially hydrogenated oil is listed as an ingredient, it’s best to avoid the product.

Saturated fats

Saturated fats are found mostly in animal products such as meat, eggs, and dairy products. These fats tend to be solid at room temperature.

The USDA recommends getting less than 10 percent of your daily calories from saturated fats. Current researchTrusted Source suggests that replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat is associated with a lower risk of heart disease.

Monounsaturated fats

According to the American Heart Association, monounsaturated fats can help reduce the LDL (“bad”) cholesterol in your blood. This can reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.

Unlike saturated fats, monounsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature. Foods that are a good source of this type of fat include:

• plant-based oils (such as olive oil, canola oil, sesame oil, and safflower oil)
• nuts (such as almonds, peanuts, walnuts, and cashews)
• nut butters (such as peanut butter and almond butter)
• avocados

Polyunsaturated fats

Your body can’t make polyunsaturated fats — that’s why you need to get them from the food you eat. These fats are also known as “essential fats.”

Omega-3 fatty acids are a specific type of polyunsaturated fat that can help reduce your risk of heart disease, protect you against irregular heart rate, and help lower your blood pressure.

You can find omega-3 fatty acids in the following foods:

• fatty fish (such as salmon, mackerel, herring, and sardines)
• oysters
• flax seeds
• chia seeds
• walnuts

To help maintain good health, most of the fats you eat should be monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. Top of FBottom of Form

How to tell if you’re not getting enough fat in your diet

Dietary fat deficiency is rare in healthy people who eat a balanced, nutritious diet. However, some conditions can put you at risk for fat deficiency, such as:

• eating disorders
• large bowel resection (colectomy)
• inflammatory bowel disease
• cystic fibrosis
• pancreatic insufficiency
• an extremely low fat diet

If you’re not getting enough dietary fat, some biological processes in your body may not work as well.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the signs that you’re not getting enough fat in your diet… TO BE CONTINUED TOMORROW 

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