November 29, 2012 – 10:53 am
A recent study published by doctors at Newcastle University found that dietary supplements with resistant starch do not reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in those with Lynch syndrome. The study was part of the CAPP2 or Colorectal Adenoma/carcinoma Prevention Programme. The point of the study was to compare the effects of dietary supplements with that of diets high in dietary fiber. Specifically the study looked at those suffering from lynch syndrome, a genetic predisposition to colorectal cancer.
The study, led by John Mathers and company, divided 918 patients into either placebo groups or a daily regimen of 30 g of resistant starch as a dietary supplement. The study looked at another study’s results that treated patients for 29 months, which found that resistant starch had no effect. This study looked at patients for over 10 years but found after 2 years taking the resistant starch the results were the same as taking the placebo. Interestingly, the study found that those who took resistant starch for less than two years actually had a 2.38 increase in incidents of colon cancer. The authors of the study are not sure if this is a fluke or actually a short-term adverse effect. Prior to the study, resistant starch, like other carbohydrates, were believed to be beneficial for the colon when in combination with other carbohydrates.
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November 19, 2012 – 10:56 pm
Was your first colonoscopy experience traumatizing? If you had negative results and have no history of colon cancer you may eligible for alternative screening methods for colon cancer. A study that took place out of Massachusetts General Hospital found that those patients who had alternative screenings regularly had similar chances of avoiding colon cancer as those who had colonoscopies every ten years. This means that you may be able to avoid colonoscopies if you are willing to maintain regular schedules of getting either CT testing, or fecal blood tests.
The study found that those who have colonoscopies have the same amount of life years gained as those who receive any type of alternative cancer screening. One important finding of this study is the potential savings of up to 0.6 billion dollars for yearly fecal tests versus having a colonoscopy every 10 years. Another important aspect of using alternative treatments is the lack of certified colonoscopists available to perform all the colonoscopies needed. If those patients, who did not need colonoscopies, used alternative methods then these colonoscopies would have an easier time accommodating patients who did not qualify for alternative treatments.
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October 24, 2012 – 8:32 am
A recent article published by Gastroenterology & Endoscopy News detailed an increasing number of physicians implementing sedationless colonoscopies. New technologies have enabled patients to have more options for how they want their colonoscopy to proceed and have given doctors more room to come up with procedural methods that make colonoscopies available without going to sleep while still remaining relatively pain free.
The option of sedationless colonoscopy has been around for about 10 years or so, after a study performed by Douglas Rex, MD and others who found that specifically older men in good health could be good candidates for colonoscopy without sedation. The techniques and procedures for sedationless colonoscopy are still under development and require the use of variable- stiffness and pediatric colonoscopes in order to have a comfortable procedure.
There are still many elements that need to be worked out and Dr. Howell, a physician who had been performing sedationless colonoscopy for about 12 years now, has developed a method for determining which patients would fare well and which would struggle with the sedationless procedure. The screening process developed by Dr. Howell eliminated those who had previously required significant medication during a colonoscopy, those with a body mass index (BMI) below 20, women who had pelvic surgery, have a history of endometriosis, those who have undergone radiation, or those who suffer from chronic pelvic pain.
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October 17, 2012 – 8:56 am
A recent study, which occurred at the University Hospital Heidelberg in Germany, found that drinking coffee significantly reduces the time needed to recover from bowel obstruction following abdominal surgery. The study lead by Dr. Sascha Müller looked at more than 80 patients’ recoveries from surgery and divided them into two groups. One group was given 100mL of water 3 times a day while the other group was given 100mL of caffeinated coffee 3 times a day. The patients all faced surgery for a variety of reasons with the majority (56 percent) suffering from colon cancer. Another 28 percent of patients suffered from diverticular disease, a type of condition wherein there are structural problems with the colon; 13 suffered from inflammatory bowel disease and the remainder had various conditions. The patients were of comparable health, age 61 on average and were 56 percent male. These conditions allowed for the trial to look at a variety of responses by patients.
According to the study, those who received the caffeine treatment had their first bowel movement a full 14 hours before those who had only water. The first bowel movement occurred at 60 hours for those on caffeine versus those who did not have caffeine who had their first bowel movement at 74 hours. Similarly, those who had caffeine were able to have solid food at around 49 hours while those who had only water were only able to keep solid food at 56 hours.
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