Reducing Your Colon Cancer Risk

 

We talked yesterday about the importance of regular screening for correctional cancer. Early detection is the best way to a good outcome. If you are over 50 years old (40 years if you have personal risk factors) you need to talk with your primary healthcare provider about it.

That being said, there lifestyle adjustments that you can make that are well proven to lower your risk. Here are five.

Diet. Diets rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains are strongly linked with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. Eating less red meat and avoiding processed meats also helps. Make sure you have adequate vitamin D levels, as low levels are linked to a higher risk. Bonus: This is the same diet advice given for lowering the risk of other cancers, coronary disease and diabetes.

Exercise. Cancer doesn't care if you feel like exercising. In fact it would prefer that you didn't. "Exercise may decrease gut inflammation and improve immune surveillance to prevent cancer," says Dr Vi Chiu, director of Gastrointestinal Oncology at Cedars Sinai Clinic and Research Institute in Los Angeles. Aim for 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise like brisk walking every week. In fact, don't aim for it. Do it.

Manage your weight.  Being overweight increases your risk of developing colorectal cancers because it interferes with the function of various hormones like insulin and leptin. For example, obese people have much higher levels of insulin which can cause abnormal cell growth in the colon. Stop making excuses and get down to your healthy weight.

Drink less alcohol. "Alcohol is a toxin whose byproducts can damage DNA and cause intestinal damage," Dr Chiu tells us. Limit your consumption to no more than one serving of alcohol per day. Less is better. How much is a serving? Google knows.

Stop smoking. Seriously? You need to be told this in 2022? A study of almost 5,000 people published in the British Journal of Cancer found that smokers had an almost 60% higher risk of developing colorectal cancers than non-smokers. Quitting reduces the increased risk to 20%. Staying clean for 20+ years eliminated the added risk entirely. Like you needed yet another reason to stop.

Colorectal cancer is a nasty, painful, terrible way to die. It not only affects you but your family and loved ones. There is a lot you can do to greatly reduce your risk. Just freaking do it for christ's sake.