Torn from the pages of Life Extension magazine, scientists have discovered that curcumin and quercetin may help fight against colon cancer. Great news, that is if we knew what the heck curcumin and quercetin were. Fortunately, they included that information, as well.

It turns out that curcumin can be found in the curry spice tumeric. As for quercetin, it is an antioxidant that is in several kinds of fruits and vegetables. With regard to these two oddly spelled substances' health benefits, it was found that people with familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) who took regular doses of them saw an average decrease in polyps by as much as 60 percent in as little as six months. What's more, these people also saw a decrease in the overall size of their polyps by an average of 51percent.

Previous studies have demonstrated a link between these two substances and colon cancer, but this was the first to focus exclusively on their efficacy in the battle against FAP. Interestingly, because the two substances were administered to test subjects simultaneously, doctors are unsure as to whether their synergy is what led to the results, or if one substance provided the greatest effect and the other provided none to little. But, it appears that doctors are now speculating that it may actually be the curcumin that is the key ingredient in protecting against cancer of the colon.