According to the American Cancer Society, nearly 137,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with colon cancer this year and over 50,000 people will die from it. These are scary statistics, but what some may not realize is that colorectal cancers are some of the most preventable types of cancer. Here are four steps you can take to decrease your chances of getting diagnosed with colon cancer.
Step One: Maintain a Healthy Weight
There is a known relationship that exists between obesity and at least 8 different kinds of cancer, one of which is colon cancer. For men who have a higher than normal BMI (Body Mass Index), they are at an increased risk for colon cancer. While women with a higher than normal BMI are also at risk, the chances aren't as high for them to get colon cancer as men. For adults over the age of 20, a BMI between 25.0 and 29.9 is considered overweight and a BMI of 30 is considered obese.
Step Two:
If you haven't begun to smoke cigarettes, don't start. Since smoking can increase your chances of getting colorectal cancers, smokers should stop smoking. Many people assume that the only kind of cancer smoking causes is lung cancer, but according to one study, long-term smoking of cigarettes has also been linked to colorectal cancer. For those who quit smoking, they are decreasing their chances of getting colon cancer.
Step Three: Eat Plenty of Cancer-Preventing Foods
It's true that certain nutrients and vitamins can help to prevent cancer. In order to prevent colon cancer eat plenty of the following:
Eating less red meat and processed meat is also helpful for colon cancer prevention. Avoiding or limiting alcohol intake can also help decrease your chances of getting colon cancer.
Step Four: Schedule Your Colonoscopy
If you are not obese, you don't smoke, and you eat cancer-preventing foods, you are well on your way to preventing colon cancer. If you are 50 years or older, one more step you can take to prevent cancer is to get a colonoscopy. Colon cancers start off as polyps, and when these get detected and then removed, it can reduce the chances of getting colon cancer. Repeating the colonoscopy every ten years will help to ensure you stay colon cancer free.
For more information, contact Northwest Gastroenterology Associates or a similar organization.
Share4 August 2016
When my mother fell at home and broke her hip, we all thought that we were going to have no choice to put her in a nursing home when she got out of the hospital. My mother had always asked us kids to avoid putting her in any kind of home, but we didn’t know what else we could do. None of us were capable of giving her the kind of rehabilitation and care that she needed. Then her doctor suggested that we find out if her insurance covered in-home care. I didn’t even know that that was an option. I was pleased to discover that in-home care was covered by her plan. Now she gets great care from nurses and nurse assistants that come right to her in her home, where she wants to be. It’s a great option, and I’m so glad we have it.
