Eat spinach! Research shows eating spinach can prevent colon cancer

Colon cancer is a common digestive tract malignancy that occurs in the colon, often at the junction of the rectum and sigmoid colon. In the United States, colon cancer is the fourth most common cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related death. Previous studies have shown that eating green vegetables and fiber can reduce the risk of colon cancer by up to half. A new study from Texas A&M University Health Science Center (Texas A&M Health) shows that eating spinach can prevent colon cancer. This study explored the relationship between spinach, gut health, genes and colon cancer.

The researchers used a model of a genetic disease called familial adenomatous polyposis, which causes multiple noncancerous growths (polyps) to develop in the colon of young people. Most people with this disease must have their colon removed surgically to prevent hundreds of tumors from growing in the colon as they age. They are then treated with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to prevent additional tumors from forming in the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine). The results of this study suggest that spinach may help with cancer prevention in these patients by delaying the need to remove the colon and prolonging drug treatment.

In the study, after feeding freeze-dried spinach to an animal model of familial adenomatous polyposis for 26 weeks, researchers observed significant anti-tumor activity in the colon and small intestine. Using a multi-omics approach, researchers found that spinach's suppression of tumors involves an increase in the diversity of the gut microbiome (beneficial microorganisms) and changes in gene expression, thereby helping to prevent cancer. The study also found that fatty acids associated with regulating inflammation, called linoleic acid metabolites, were elevated to beneficial levels after a spinach diet.
On the other hand, non-hereditary colon cancer, through dietary and environmental exposure to carcinogens, can change the way genes are expressed in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which can lead to the appearance of polyps in the colon and lower GI tract later in life, which can develop into cancer. Spinach is also very effective in preventing polyps.

When it comes to how soon people should start adding spinach to their diet to help prevent colon cancer, researchers say it's never a bad idea to start now. The sooner the better, and you shouldn't wait until polyps appear to start taking these preventive measures.
A related research paper titled "Dietary spinach reshapes the gut microbiome in an Apc-mutant genetic background: mechanistic insights from integrated multi-omics" was published in the journal Gut Microbiology.
(Source: Qianzhan.com)