Through these experiments, they are hoping to develop a better idea of what physiologically causes colorectal cancer. By studying different physiological aspects, such as, estrogen levels in women, body mass index in different races of men, one study sought to figure out who is more likely to develop colon cancer. Other studies aim to understand what specific effects one’s diet has concerning colon cancer. One research group evaluated the correlation between high intakes of plant foods and fiber and people who developed colon cancer. Another study focused on antioxidant and DNA methylation-related nutrients and risk of distal colorectal cancer. While these specific researchers attempt to uncover what physiologically can lead to or even prevent colon cancer, other studies have a different approach in which they work to cure someone who already has the disease. With this approach, a study researched hormone replacement therapy in relation to survival in women diagnosed with colon cancer. While researchers attack this disease in many different ways, they are all simultaneously attempting to gain a better understanding of colon …show more content…
The specific antioxidant nutrients examined were vitamin C and E, beta-carotene, selenium and the DNA methylation-related nutrients were folate, vitamins B6 and B12. Leading to this research was the general belief that diet plays an important role in the development of colon cancer. Additionally, previous studies have found that decreased anti-oxidant consumption results in a higher distribution of free radicals that can be linked to CRC (Williams et al, 2010). Free radicals are very reactive molecules that can lead to tissue damage. The reason why they chose to examine these specific nutrients was because they have active antioxidant properties and protect the body against free radical