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American Morning
Study Shows Women Whose Diet is Rich in Folic Acid Can Significantly Cut Their Chances of Getting Colon Cancer
Aired April 18, 2002 - 08:41 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: There's a new medical study out that shows women whose diet is rich in folic acid can significantly cut their chances of getting colon cancer. So how do you get enough folic acid and what types of food are high in folic acid?
We're now joined by CNN's medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen with some smelly food.
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, we have chicken liver here, and bow, can you smell it. I apologize. We'll get to the chicken livers in a minute.
There's 40 percent reduction of risk for colon cancer for women in this new study that's just come out from Albert Einstein Medical College. And actually others states have shown a lowering risk for men. So this seems to be a very dramatic risk lowering for colon cancer.
So let's just cut to the chase, and say how do you get enough folic acid? How do you do that? Well, here you go. Two bean burritos. If you eat that, and if you also eat half cup of asparagus, and if you also eat one cup of baked beans with pork, and if you also drink one cup of tomato juice. If that was what you ate in one day, along with other things, of course, that would give you 400 micrograms of folic acid, and that would do it for you.
However, studies have shown that most women -- women and men don't get enough folic acid. So let's talk about some other food. This is the granddaddy of them all. That is a serving of chopped liver, and that will give you almost twice as much folic acid as you need for the day. So that's a quick way to get folic acid if you want it.
Another way some people might find more palatable is you just take a multivitamin, and many of them have 400 micrograms of folic acid.
COOPER: Surgeon general talked about some birth defects? We'll get some recommendations about that.
COHEN: That's right, years ago, the surgeon general said, you know what, the evidence that taking folic acid can prevent birth defects is so huge that all women of child-bearing age should get 400 milligrams of folic acid. Get it in a supplement. Get it in food. Get it any way you can, but you have to take it actually, really before you even know you're pregnant, because you need it so early on. So women have been urged to do that for years now.
COOPER: On another study out this morning, a lot of people concerned about hormone replacement therapy. What does the study say?
COHEN: I always feel sop bad for postmenopausal women. I guess I'lll hopefully be one one day. Because you just hear all these conflicting things. It's good for your heart, it's bad for your heart, it can prevent breast cancer, it's bad for breast cancer, and so there is a report that apparently is coming out in June that says, you know, if you want to take hormone replacement therpay for the symptoms of menopause, that's fine, but don't think it's going to do anything for anything else. For example, don't think that it's going to prevent heart disease.
About five or 10 years ago, doctors were telling patients, hey, hormone replacement therapy not only good for menopausal symptoms, but also good to prevent heart attacks and stroke, and this report is saying, you know what, that does does not appear to be true, and in fact, actually last year, the American Heart Association said, you know what, it's not good for preventing heart disease. It's not a wise thing to do it for that reason.
COOPER: So the message this morning?
COHEN: The message to women this morning appears to be, if you want to take hormone replacement therapy to prevent hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, fine, go ahead. But don't that it's going to prevent heart disease or stroke. However, I was talking to an obstetrician who said, you know what, five or 10 years from now, there may be studies that say, oh sorry, we didn't mean that. It actually doesn't prevent heart attack and stroke. The pendulum swings all the time with this, but it appears that the most current thinking, hormone replacement therapy, not useful for preventing cardiovascular disease.
COOPER: For folic acid, you can also take supplements, right? You don't have to eat the smelly food?
COHEN: Right. You don't have to eat this serving of chicken liver, not beef liver. Chicken liver is much better. No, you can just take a supplement. As a matter of fact, my obstetrician told me when I was thinking about getting pregnant, you know what, just take a supplement, because it can be difficult to get enough in your diet and a supplement seems to work just as well.
COOOPER: All right, great, Elizabeth Cohen, thanks for coming by. Please, don't bring smelly food anymore.
COHEN: Never again, I promise.
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