Tobacco smoking increases the risks of pre-cancerous colon polyps by 4 percent for every year of smoking, studies published Monday said.
Researchers at Our Lady of Mercy Medical Center in New York City examined the relationship between polyps and dietary and recreational habits as well as medications in a study of 157 patients with a mean age of 55 years.
They found cigarette smokers were more likely to have polyps, to have a greater number of polyps, and to have larger polyps than non-smokers.
In another finding, researchers found there was a significant association between the use of vitamin C and the absence of polyps. In this sample, 16 patients regularly consumed vitamin C supplements at doses equal to or more than 1,000 milligrams a day, and none of them had polyps.
The studies were presented Monday the 69th Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology in Orlando, Fla.
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