A meta-analysis of 31 studies involving more than 120,000 subjects showed that fecal immunochemical testing (FIT test) was accurate in screening for colon cancer, but not in finding advanced pre-malignant polyps. If your goal is to find the pre-cancerous polyp before it transforms into a malignancy, than colonoscopy is still the best choice. Annals of Internal Medicine March 2019. MS The post EFFECTIVENESS OF FECAL OCCULT BLOOD TESTING. appeared first on GATE | Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay Medical Group ..read more

It is well established that the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC) is increased if a first degree relative (parent, brother, sister) has had CRC. What is the risk if CRC was found in a second degree relative (grandparent, aunt, uncle)? A huge study in Sweden looked at 16 million individuals over more than 50 years. There was only a minor, insignificant increased risk if a second degree relative was affected. Interestingly, the risk if a half-sibling had CRC was the same as if a full sibling did. British Medical Journal March 2019. MS The post FAMILY HISTORY OF COLON CANCER. appeared first on GAT ..read more

Harvard Medical Center randomized more than 25,000 men and women to take either Vitamin D supplementation or placebo for more than 5 years. There were no differences in the chance of strokes, heart attacks, or cancer and this finding was true for both those who started with normal Vitamin D levels, or with low levels. This was a high quality, low risk of bias study, so the conclusions are valid. New England Journal of Medicine, Jan 2019. The post VITAMIN D SUPPLEMENTS DO NOT PREVENT CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE OR CANCER. appeared first on GATE | Gastroenterology Associates of the East Bay Medical ..read more

Fish oil (also called N-3 or omega-3 fatty acids) have been recommended in the past to decrease the chance of heart attacks and strokes. Harvard Medical Center sponsored a huge study involving more than 25,000 adults. The study included men and women, and all racial groups. These were individuals who did not have risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as Diabetes, Hypertension, or elevated cholesterol. After more than 5 years, there was no difference between the fish oil and the placebo groups with regard to heart attacks, strokes, cancer, or all cause mortality. This was a high quali ..read more