Research Thanks to nuts to survive the colon cancer

How do nuts affect colon cancer??

Researchers have now found that when people with stage III colorectal cancer regularly consume nuts, they have a significantly lower risk of cancer recurrence and mortality.

Researchers at the internationally acclaimed Yale Cancer Center and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found in their study that consuming nuts reduces the risk of cancer recurrence and mortality in colorectal cancer patients in stage III. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Journal of Clinical Oncology".

826 subjects participated in the study

For their study, the experts examined a total of 826 subjects. These were medically supervised for a median of 6.5 years after the treatment of colon cancer with surgery and chemo. Participants were given an ounce (approximately 28 grams) of nuts at least twice a week, resulting in a 42 percent improvement in cancer-free survival and a 57 percent chance of overall survival, explain the physicians.

Tree nuts especially recommended for colon cancer

Further analysis of this cohort also showed that disease-free survival in the subgroup of nut users who ate tree nuts instead of peanuts increased to 46 percent, says study author Charles S. Fuchs of the Yale Cancer Center. The tree nuts include, for example, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, cashew nuts and pecans. Peanuts are actually part of the legume family.

Diet and lifestyle have great influence

"These results are consistent with several other observational studies that indicate that a range of healthy behaviors, including increased physical activity, a healthy weight, and lower intake of sugars and sweetened beverages, improve colorectal cancer outcomes," says Dr. Temida Fadelu from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in a press release. The findings highlight the importance of dietary and lifestyle factors in the survival of colorectal cancer, adds the expert.

Nuts reduce insulin resistance

In addition, the researchers emphasized that the study has identified correlations between biological mechanisms that not only aggravate colorectal cancer, but also affect certain chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes. Previous studies have already found that nuts, among other health benefits, can help reduce insulin resistance. With insulin resistance, the body has difficulty processing the insulin hormone. Insulin resistance leads to unhealthy sugar levels in the blood and is often a precursor to type 2 diabetes and related illnesses, explain the physicians.

Certain lifestyle factors have a negative effect

Other studies in colorectal cancer patients have shown inferior outcomes in subjects with lifestyle factors such as obesity, physical inactivity, and high carbohydrate diets that increase insulin resistance and cause high blood sugar.

Nuts prevent hunger

"These studies support the hypothesis that behaviors that make us less insulin resistant, including eating nuts, appear to improve colorectal cancer outcomes," said Fuchs. Nuts can play a positive role in stopping hunger, resulting in lower carbohydrate or other foods that are associated with poor results, the researcher adds.

Make nuts fat?

Some people do not eat nuts because they are high in fat. For example, a serving of about 24 almonds will contain about 200 calories, including 14 grams of fat, say the physicians. Many people fear being obese by consuming nuts, but research has found that regular users of nuts are rather lean. Patients should avoid obesity for a healthy lifestyle, exercise regularly and be careful not to eat a diet that contains many carbohydrates, experts suggest. (As)