Calcium Carbonate Suppresses Haem Toxicity Markers without Calcium Phosphate Side Effect on Colon Carcinogenesis

Red meat intake is associated with increased risk of colorectal cancer. We have previously shown that haemin, haemoglobin and red meat promote carcinogen-induced preneoplastic lesions, aberrant crypt foci, in the colon of rats. We have also shown that dietary calcium phosphate inhibits haemin-induced promotion, and normalizes faecal lipoperoxides and cytotoxicity. Unexpectedly, high-calcium phosphate control diet-fed rats had more preneoplastic lesions in the colon than low-calcium control diet-fed rats. The present study was designed to find a calcium supplementation with no adverse effect, by testing several doses and types of calcium salts. One in vitro study and two short-term studies in rats identified calcium carbonate as the most effective calcium salt to bind haem in vitro and to decrease faecal biomarkers previously associated with increased carcinogenesis: faecal water cytotoxicity, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances. A long term carcinogenesis study in dimethylhydrazine-injected rats demonstrated that a diet containing 100 μmol/g calcium carbonate did not promote aberrant crypt foci, in contrast with previously tested calcium phosphate diet. The results suggest that calcium carbonate, and not calcium phosphate, should be used to reduce haem-associated colorectal cancer risk in meat-eaters. They support the concept that the nature of the associated anion to a protective metal ion is important for chemoprevention.