Cervical Cancer is one of the most insidious, deadly cancers we know of. And any discovery that might help women treat or avoid it is big news. A new study reveals a significant correlation between increased antioxidant intake and reduced risk of cervical cancer…
Early detection is critical to successful treatment of Cervical Cancer…
Cervical Cancer (CC) is a high-mortality disease that many women don’t know they have until it’s too late to treat it effectively. The Canadian Cancer Society estimates 1,700 women in Canada will be diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2026. An estimated 450 will die from it. The number of diagnoses in the US is estimated at almost 20,000. And the mortality rate is similar.
Anything science discovered that can reduce the risk of women of all ages of co9ntracting CC will be welcomed as a God-send by all involved in living with it and treating it.
What they did
The Study, published in The International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics, analyzed the records of 1,044 participants from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NaHaNES) (2003–2018). Of those, 174 reported a history of CC and 870 were matched ‘control’ subjects.
Composite Dietary Antioxidant Index (CDAI) was determined via a questionnaire asking what subjects ha eaten in the past 24 hours.
What they found
Participants with CC were more likely to smoke, be obese, and live alone than those without CC. But the most significant finding was that participants in the highest CDAI group had a 55.8 percent lower prevalence of CC than those in the lowest group.
The takeaway
The study concludes that, “dietary antioxidant intake may play a potential role in the prevention of CC.” Scientists are always cautious in reporting good news. But I feel compelled to point out that their confidence level in their calculations was 95 percent!
My take
While – as the researchers caution – further research is needed… It appears that increased anti-oxidant consumption can mitigate your risk of getting CC. Whatever the final result of the final study (whenever it is published) says, upping your antioxidant intake (for example, making blueberries a regular part of your diet) is just good, sound advice for everyone, for a lot of reasons!
And it’s also important to note that the percentage of women overdue for periodic cervical cancer testing has almost doubled since 2005. Just do it!
~ Maggie J.