RT Journal
A1 Holt PR, Lipkin M, Newmark H
T1 CAlcium intake and colon cancer biomarkers
JF JAMA
JO JAMA
YR 1999
FD April 7
VO 281
IS 13
SP 1172
OP 1172
DO 10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-281-13-jbk0407
UL http://dx.doi.org/10-1001/pubs.JAMA-ISSN-0098-7484-281-13-jbk0407
AB 
To the Editor: The Editorial by Drs Ahnen and
Byers1 about our article2 misses the major
points presented, and does not discuss the important issues raised by
the findings. The major points presented include: (a) the
administration of natural foods (as opposed to undesirable
administration of drugs such as sulindac or sulindac sulfone) improved
and normalized the growth and maturation of colonic epithelial cells;
(b) the findings did not depend on a single biomarker, but
introduced multiple indicators of normal cell growth and development in
the human colon to study a chemopreventive regimen; and (c)
success of low-fat dairy foods in achieving these positive results was
due mainly to increasing dietary calcium intake from well below the
currently recommended "adequate intake" level to slightly above the
adequate intake level.