›› Colon Cancer Prevention
Colon cancer is one
of the most common forms of cancer in the United States, and the entire
world. It is the second most fatal cancer in the United
States, causing tens of thousands of deaths every year, with close to
two hundred thousand new diagnoses. Colon cancer prevention
is therefore a subject of interest to people everywhere.
The good news about colon cancer is that it’s actually a very
preventable disease. Colon cancer prevention has
traditionally been focused on maintaining a healthy diet, and this is
still recommended today. Diets high in fiber, and low in
fatty foods and red meat are linked to a reduced risk of developing
colon cancer. Fish and poultry are not linked to an increase
risk, and some supplements such as calcium and selenium have been shown
to lower your risk. There have also been some studies
suggesting that aspirin may help lower your risk of colon cancer.
These are all colon
cancer prevention tips that may be useful to some, but for others you
are going to develop the disease no matter how hard you try to avoid
it. Many cases of colon cancer are linked to an inherited
condition that leads to the growth of hundreds of what are called
‘polyps’ along your colon and rectum.
Polyps are normally benign, but if you are a polyp grower there is an
extremely high likelihood that one or more will become cancerous in
your lifetime. If you have had close relatives that have
developed colon cancer, there is a good chance you may be a poly
grower.
The best colon cancer prevention is therefore focused on catching it
early. You can’t always prevent a polyp from
becoming cancerous, but if you catch it early there is a very high
survival rate (over 90%). Getting a regular colonoscopy exam
is probably the best form of colon cancer prevention you could ever do
for yourself. Even if you are not a
‘polyp’ grower, getting a colonoscopy once every
five years vastly reduces your odds of dying from colon
cancer. The exams are of course uncomfortable to say the
least, but colon cancer is a lot more uncomfortable.
The biggest reason
why colon cancer kills so many people every year isn’t
because it is such a deadly form of cancer, but rather because people
aren’t aware of colon cancer prevention measures like
colonoscopys. Or they may be aware of preventative measures,
but just don’t believe that they’ll ever get the
disease themselves. Another good colon cancer prevention
technique is therefore educating yourself and the people you know about
it!
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A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
