A new study suggests that choline, a nutrient found in red meat, poultry and dairy, may contribute to the development of intestinal polyps, which can lead to colon cancer. The study was led by Eunyoung Cho, an epidemiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital.

The study was of more than 39,000 nurses, who all happened to be women. The women were originally free of colon cancer and then had at least one endoscopic examination performed. Polyps were found in more than 2,400 of the women. Women who ate the most choline were 1.45 times more likely to have polyps. Having more polyps does not necessarily mean more cancer and further studies will have to examine whether those who ate the most choline developed the most tumors, in addition to studying the effects of choline in men.

Cho cautions that this study is preliminary and that dietary changes should not be made as a result of it. According to Regina Ziegler of the NCI who wrote a commentary on the new study, current dietary advice to eat lots of fiber and fruits and vegetables "isn't likely to change even if choline turns out to be a possible villain." As for now, "people shouldn't run out and start either taking more choline or less choline," she said.

If a desire for healthy eating is anywhere present in your mind, I have a suggestion for you. Next time you head into your local grocery store in search of goods to fill your cupboards, your shelves, your refrigerator, I want you to try this: steer clear of the inside aisles of the store.

Think about this:

The healthiest foods, the freshest foods, the whole foods are housed on the outside walls of grocery stores. Fruits, vegetables, breads, meats, dairy, and often times the organic department border the aisles filled with cookies, candies, colas, crackers, cereals, dressings, and a whole host of other preserved items. So see if you can shop without entering the less-healthy regions of your store. And if you must make a detour, shoot for the most natural foods you can find. If your search is for cooking oil, opt for canola oil instead of vegetable oil. If peanut butter is your thing, pick up natural nut butters. If you must have mayonnaise, reach for reduced fat or soy versions.

Staying on the perimeter of your store still requires some thinking -- meats should be lean, breads should start with the word whole, cheeses and dairy should be low in fat, and juices should be free of sugar. But still, this is the healthiest place for your next grocery store stroll.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has something important to say about the sugar substitute aspartame.

Think about this:

Italian researchers concluded in 2005 that aspartame causes cancer. But Laura Tarantino of the FDA Office of Food Additive Safety concludes after a review of the study data that the low-calorie sweetener is not a carcinogen.

A similar review by the FDA's European counterpart agrees. There is no evidence this substance, used for 25 years to sweeten soda, gum, dairy products, and some medications, causes cancer.

Italian researchers say they will release their latest aspartame study results on Monday.

Here's my problem with health-related advice and wisdom -- it's always changing. And I'm never sure if I'm buying into the right practice. Should I eat low-fat foods, for example, or should I stick with moderate amounts of regular food? Is red meat a good source of protein and other goodies or a direct path to breast cancer recurrence? Will sunscreen save my life or cause malignant lesions to develop on my fair skin?

How about drinking eight glass of water a day? Maybe yes. Maybe no, according to experts who say we get water from sources other than diet alone and while we do need to replace water lost through breathing, urination, and sweating each day, our lost fluids do not total 64 ounces. And it seems we can drink too much water. This can lead to an imbalance of sodium and a condition called hyponatremia.

Vitamin supplements? Eat a good amount of fruits, veggies, whole grains, low-fat dairy, protein, and the right amount of calories and you don't need a multivitamin. But most of us don't eat right. So we probably need one.

OK. Now breathe. Take it all in. Filter it. Use it. Abandon it. As for me -- I'm going with the tactic mentioned above several times -- moderation. Seems to me this approach is the key to both health and happiness.

Women with advanced breast cancer were found to have lower levels of vitamin D when compared to women with early-stage breast cancer, leading researchers to conclude that vitamin D might play a role in slowing the progression of breast cancer.

Imperial College London researchers are not certain if the lower level of vitamin D found in women with advanced breast cancer is the result of the cancer, or one of the factors promoting the progression of the breast cancer, only that there appears to be a connection.

This adds to the body of knowledge that women living in northern climates, where there is less year-round sun exposure, are more prone to developing breast cancer.

One of the natural ways to get vitamin D is from exposure to sunlight. Also, women can get vitamin D from fortified milk and dairy products, cod liver oil and fatty fish, such as salmon. Previous research has indicated that vitamin D might play a role in the prevention in a number of cancers. For related information into research conclusions regarding vitamin D:

• Fatty fish offers women cancer prevention
• Vitamin D: supplement aids in reducing risk of cancer
• Vitamin D: lack of summer sun increases risk for 16 cancers

I've been wondering lately about how I might alter my diet in a post-cancer world. I am a moderate eater -- I eat moderate amounts of meat and fruits and vegetables and grains and dairy. And moderate amounts of fats and sweets too. Sometimes I wonder if I am doing myself a disservice by eating meat and processed foods and refined sugar. I've gathered many opinions that indicate that the further our food comes from the dirt of this Earth, the worse it is for us. That perhaps the increase in cancer cases in the United States is linked to the increase in diets rich in artificial stuff. Part of me resists this speculation -- maybe because I enjoy a variety of foods from the entire food pyramid and I just don't want to give them up.  And part of me believes that if this argument is true, then I am a fool to not jump on board and take control of my future health. So I've taken the first step -- I've done some research and have located a destination where I could explore this route with detail and precision by practicing a whole new way of eating and being.

Hippocrates Health Institute, a leader in the field of natural and complementary health care and education since 1956, teaches a vegan diet with a focus on implementing this lifestyle at home. Food is served in its purest form and is fresh, organic, and enzyme-rich. Food is not the only focus at this institute, however. Whole body healing includes various therapies, exercise, and workshops. While living on the premises of this West Palm Beach, Florida oasis for a minimum of one week and a maximum of three weeks, I could cleanse myself of the toxins and stress and anxiety that have invaded my body as a result of cancer. It's tempting. And maybe when my treatment is complete in August, I will become a student of this philosophy. Just maybe.

On May 24, 2006, The Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation will be launching White Lies, a campaign to raise awareness of the health risks of consuming dairy products. Why You Don't Need Dairy, an event to mark the beginning of the campaign, will feature Heather Mills McCartney as a speaker who will call for milk to be dropped from the nation's diet. At the same time, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, PCRM, a nonprofit health organization comprised of physicians and nutritionists, will be asking consumers to eliminate dairy from their diet for three weeks to see if they notice an improvement in health.

In three short weeks, PCRM is confident those who take the dairy-free challenge will notice immediate benefit in better digestion, easier breathing, better sleep, a lessening of headaches and for sufferers of acne or dermatitis -- clear skin. Health benefits that are not immediately noticeable but of significant value is a reduction in the risk of prostate and ovarian cancer. Research had proven the link between dairy and these two cancers. Because dairy products such as cheese, ice cream, milk, butter, and yogurt all contain high levels of fat, it is reasonable to assume there might be a dairy link to other cancers as well.

The Nutrition Resource Centre of the Ontario Public Health Association, has published Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium, available as a PDF document online, with food suggestions that offer plenty of calcium.

In a newspaper feature, Cathy Zimmerman begins by asking, milk -- could it be possible that it does a body bad? As part of a session of classes on foods that fight cancer at Wild Oats in Portland, Oregon, she quotes Dr. Amy Lanou, a nutrition scientist and professor of health and wellness at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and board member of the Cancer Project -- a nonprofit group of physicians, naturopaths and educators -- as saying, "There is a large body of evidence that dairy products do more harm than good. Whole milk, full of lactose sugar and unsaturated fats, is the number-one source of fat in children's diets." Concerned adults are attempting to stop the growing problem of obesity for children by reducing less-nutritious or fat-laden foods that lead to weight gain. Obesity can lead to a number of diseases later in life -- including cancers.

According to The Cancer Project, other mammals quit drinking milk after infancy, but not humans, who started drinking cow's milk in northern Europe about 1,000 years ago. The proteins, fat and sugar in milk promote fast growth, as well as dozens of hormones that nourish infant development. But that's mother's milk. And babies drinking it. Dairy milk is too rich for an adult body. Previous research on dairy has shown that it can increase the risks for some cancers. What about calcium? Contrary to popular belief, dairy is not the best bet for getting the calcium we need to maintain good health. Calcium can be obtained from a diet of green leafy vegetables, beans, peas and legumes. Fortified juices are another source of calcium. Does milk do a body bad? You decide.

The title of a Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, PCRM, news release reads: Physicians Urge Elizabeth Hurley to Disavow False Dairy Diet Claims. According to PCRM, they have sent a letter to Elizabeth Hurley, asking the actress to stop participating in the Got Milk? advertising campaign that falsely implies that consuming dairy products facilitates weight loss.

“If Ms. Hurley drinks as much milk as the dairy industry advises, she may soon have trouble fitting into her bikini,” says Susan Levin, M.S., R.D., a PCRM staff dietitian. “The scientific evidence against the dairy diet theory is overwhelming. Not only does dairy consumption not lead to weight loss, but dairy has been linked to health problems ranging from lactose intolerance to increased risk of some types of cancer.”

I have found some research indicating a possible link to dairy and cancer, and a link of obesity and cancer. Normally I would applaud such efforts to stop a company attempting to promote a product that might have adverse health benefit . But, I am not fond of censorship or group pressure on an individual to act according to how the group has decided they should act. It is one thing to file lawsuits to stop the multimillion-dollar advertising campaign claiming that milk facilitates weight loss, and to ask the Federal Trade Commission and the Food and Drug Administration to put an end to such claims -- it's quite another action to single out an actress and demand she stop doing something they do not agree with, especially in issuing a very public press release. If there are others like me, this PRCM effort might backfire, simply because of the tactic of going after an individual and attempting to pressure them into behaving in any certain way. It's strikes me as immature bullying. And that's too bad, because the PCRM has a good point regarding the dangers of dairy.

According to the American Cancer Society, cancer deaths could be cut by 50 percent if we all lived by lifestyle guidelines guaranteed to eliminate many cancers. None of this is new news, but it comes as a new study. In the annual Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Facts & Figures 2006, the advice remains the same, and we all know it by rote. Stop smoking, exercise, lose weight, eat nutritional food, protect yourself from the sun and go in for early diagnostic cancer screenings. We have been told, we understand -- we get it already. Enough.

Tell us something we do not know that can help us. Tell us about the causes of cancer we cannot be blamed for -- that we did not bring upon ourselves in our errant lifestyle choices -- because the underlying message in how to cut cancer deaths in half, is one of blame. Tell us what causes the other 50 percent of cancer deaths. Tell us what you are doing with the millions in dollars publicly and privately raised, that is new news. You might start with the toxic chemicals saturating our environment; the carcinogens allowed in the products sold; or in the modified enhanced foods that come to market. We are not quibbling with you about the known lifestyle choices that can lead to a dramatic 50 percent reduction in cancer deaths -- we agree -- but we want to know more about what we do not know. Information that is new news and not simply a nag-fest in recycling the obvious, because that's too easy, and it's lazy. Too many of us are out here living by the rules set to prevent cancer and are dying of cancer anyway, and we want to know why.

Jane Plant, one of Britain's leading scientists, a bestselling author, and five-time breast cancer survivor speaks out against the cancer risks of dairy products, and in favor of a cancer prevention plant-based diet. Professor Jane Plant claims that milk contains growth factors and hormones that can promote cancer. Her controversial message that breast cancer can be treated, and even prevented, effectively by simple changes in diet has been met with huge acclaim from hundreds of thousands of sufferers of breast cancer around the world. She has written four books, Your Life In Your Hands - Understanding, Preventing And Overcoming Breast Cancer; Eating for Better Health: The Plant Programme; Understanding, Preventing And Overcoming Osteoporosis and Prostate Cancer - Understand, Prevent And Overcome.

According to Dr. Plant, a plant-based diet and lack of dairy is the norm in Far Eastern countries and the incidence of being diagnosed with breast cancer are half that of western nations. As an example, when Chinese and Japanese women move to Europe or the United States and adopt the western diet, they begin to experience a dramatic increase in breast cancer rates. As a breast cancer survivor, and cancer-free for eleven years, Dr. Plant will take part of The Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation White Lies campaign launch as a featured speaker, along with Heather Mills McCartney and Dr. Campbell of The China Study.

The China Study, called the "Grand Prix of epidemiology" by The New York Times, is a compelling book that challenges much of the information we have been taught, and live by, when it comes to nutrition, good health and cancer prevention. The book is the culmination of 40 years in biomedical research by the author, T. Colin Campbell, PhD.

"We must know why misinformation dominates our society and why we are grossly mistaken in how we investigate diet and disease, how we promote health and how we treat disease. The real science has been buried beneath a clutter of irrelevant or even harmful information - junk science, fad diets and food industry propaganda."

According to Dr. Campbell, much of the common information we have been taught is wrong. The truth is, synthetic chemicals in the environment and in food are the main cause of cancer; inherited genes are the most important factors in your vulnerability to the ten leading causes of death; vitamins and supplements will give you long-term protection against disease; and controlling your intake of protein, carbs, fat, cholesterol and omega -3 will maintain long-term health.

Dr. Campbell is project director of the China-Oxford-Cornell Diet and Health Project. The project, known as the China Study, is a 20-year study of nutrition and health. Because there is too much information in The China Study to discuss in a single blog post, on April 18th, I am going to start a weekly review of Dr. Campbell's book. This will give everyone, who is interested in joining the discussion, time to obtain a copy from the library, or purchase a copy of the book. Please indicate your interest as a comment following this, and I will contact you with details. For now, we will call this the TCB book club.

Dr. Campbell will join Heather Mills McCartney as featured speakers for The Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation White Lies campaign launch.

In London, on May 24, 2006, The Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation will be launching White Lies, a campaign to raise awareness of the health risks of consuming dairy products. Why You Don't Need Dairy, an event to mark the beginning of the campaign, will feature Heather Mills McCartney, wife of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, as a speaker who will call for milk to be dropped from the nation's diet.

Other speakers include Professor Jane Plant CBE, a geochemist, who fought breast cancer three times and went into remission after giving up dairy products. Plant is the author of the best selling books ‘Your Life in Your Hands - Understanding, Preventing and Overcoming Breast Cancer’ and ‘Prostate Cancer.’

On March 1, the foundation called for a total ban on all imports of milk that contain raised levels of a growth hormone linked to cancer. Tests confirmed that milk from the US is being imported into the EU, dosed with the synthetic growth hormone, rBST, recombinant bovine somatotrophin. According to The Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation, one of the effects of this hormone in milk is to increase its levels of the naturally-occurring growth hormone IGF-1 as much as fivefold.  IGF-1 has been strongly linked to certain cancers.

In a related post, drinking milk can lead to ovarian cancer, we shared news on a Harvard School of Public Health report which indicated a 19 percent higher risk of ovarian cancer for some women who drink milk. Included in the post is the Nutrition Resource Centre of the Ontario Public Health Association, Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium, available as a PDF document online, with non-dairy food suggestions that offer plenty of calcium.

In 1956, Paul McCartney lost his mother, Mary, to breast cancer. His first wife, Linda McCartney, died on April 17, 1998 from breast cancer.

In a new report on environmental contaminants strong link to cancer by University of Liverpool researchers, infants and young children may be at risk of developing cancer through exposure to pesticides in food and from exposure to contaminants in the home environment. The cancer causing chemicals found in the meat and dairy products mothers consume can be transferred to infants through breast milk. 

The Cancer Prevention and Education Society is working to reduce the current epidemic levels of cancer by reducing human exposure to carcinogens, particularly those of man-made origin. Unlike other cancer charities, the primary purpose of the organization is to prevent people from getting cancer in the first place. Here are ten top tips for reducing cancer risks:

• Do eat fresh organic food or, failing that, food low in additives.
• Do drink filtered or mineral water.
• Don't use synthetic pesticides in your garden.
• Use water based paints or, if you must use solvent paints, ventilate your home very well.
• Don't use aerosols that can be breathed in or leave deposits on domestic surfaces - deodorants, air-fresheners, hair-spray, fly and mosquito repellents.
• Do use toiletries low in additives and avoid chlorinated items.
• Don't smoke, protect yourself from sun-burn and drink alcohol in moderation.
• Do eat fish from low pollution waters.
• Do read all product labels. Try to minimize your exposure to synthetic chemicals and pollution.
• Dispose of chemicals carefully.