Diarrhoea May Protect Against Colon Cancer

Escherichia coli is one of the main causes of diarrhoea in people visiting or living in foreign countries. This bacterium releases a toxin that causes diarrhoea and have been found to slow the growth of dividing cancer cells to a crawl.

The E.coli toxin causes a flood of calcium into the affected cells which stops colon cancer cells from replicating rapidly. The mechanism by which this occurs is very specific.

Research is being initiated that tests if dietary calcium could block tumour growth. The pathway that leads to diarrhoea will be blocked leaving only the positive effect. It is proposed this will be a good opportunity to treat the cancer locally and that it may also work synergistically with other anticancer drugs.

(Source: New Scientist)