Preventing Colon Cancer through Diet

Colon cancer, although non-infectious, has been sometimes called the plague of our time due to the increasing number of lives it has ended or debilitated. Cancer is genetic; therefore, if your parents had it or your uncle had it, chances are you will have it too. If you can't run from it, you will have to face it and fight. Your best weapons will be screening, early detection and possible prevention. Prevention is key for everyone whether or not they have a history of cancer. Plus, it is easy to do. Since the disease presents itself in the large intestines, which is part of the digestive system, the prevention is closely related to diet. One thing you should keep in mind is "Keep it Natural".

Remember your mother saying "Eat your vegetables"? She was absolutely right. Eat your fruits too. What's cooler is that they are color-coded so it is easy to follow. The red, yellow, orange and green fruits and vegetables are rich in Antioxidants. Some of these are oranges, strawberries, peppers and carrots. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts are also very rich in these natural cancer fighting chemicals. Generous amounts of unprocessed grains help a lot too. The "bad food" you would want to avoid as much as possible is saturated fat. The problem nowadays is that there are so many products on the market that contain saturated fat. Meat has saturated fat so eat only your recommended daily allowance. Many non-animal foods have high fat content such as your favorite cakes, pastries, ice cream and cookies. Make sure you read the food labels to see how much fat you're getting. Food such as these increase your risk of colon cancer because when these fats are broken down by the digestive juices and bile, the by-products are known to cause neoplastic growths in the colon where they get dumped. Increasing fiber in your diet helps flush out these toxins and clean your colon.

It would surprise many but increasing your intake of calcium might help lower your risks of colon cancer. Calcium is one of the basic minerals in the body and is necessary for bone strength and the regulation of many chemical processes of the body. However, studies on animals have found that a lack of calcium has led to excessive cell growth in the colon. Although it is not clear if it would have the same effect on humans, calcium is still important in so many other ways that you should still get enough of it. All adults must have 1000mg of calcium per day. Women, especially during pregnancy and after menopause have a greater risk for osteoporosis and should have 1500mg of calcium per day. Adequate calcium can be given by drinking a quart of milk per day. If you can't drink this much milk, try mixing it in your food or eat other dairy products such as cheese and yogurt. Also rich in calcium are seafood and shellfish and many green leafy vegetables. If still not enough, your physician may recommend calcium supplements for you.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Colon Cancer

Some Answers To Colon Cancer Questions

1. What is colon cancer?

Cancer is a disease which can affect cells from all organs. The colon cancer affects the cells of the colon, determining them to proliferate in an uncontrollable way. This mass of abnormal cells will form a tumor inside the colon. The cancer of the intestine is quite frequent and two thirds of this type of cancer is situated in the colon.

2. Who can develop colon cancer?

You are at risk of developing colon cancer if you drink a lot of alcohol and you are obese. Also if other members of your family had colon cancer or breast cancer you could inherit some genes that make you more sensible to cancer. If you have polyps on your intestine and you leave them untreated for a long time, they can transform into malign polyps, meaning that cancer had occurred.

3. Is my diet involved in cancer development?

Following a diet which is rich in fats and proteins could expose you to cancer. If you eat a lot of fruit, vegetables and high fiber foods you can prevent colon cancer from occurring.

4. Does colon cancer come with any symptoms?

There are some symptoms which could announce that cancer is installing, but they also appear in other diseases. Some of the symptoms are: seeing blood in your bowels, alternation of diarrhea with constipation, and low abdominal pains.

5. How does the doctor know that I have cancer?

The doctor will perform a sigmoidoscopy or a colonoscopy to examine the insides of the colon. Also x-rays of the colon will be performed. These methods will see if tumors are present inside the colon. In order to stage colon cancer CT and ultrasound will be used.

6. Can colon cancer be treated?

Generally the most indicated procedure in trying to treat colon cancer is surgery. By surgery the doctors will remove the tumor from the colon. If the cancer spread, giving metastasis, the doctors will recommend you chemotherapy and radiotherapy. These are hard bearable due to their side effects like nausea, vomiting, loss of hair, fever, and tiredness.

7. Is the treatment effective or not?

If the colon cancer was diagnosed in its early stages and it has not spread to other organs the treatment will be 90% effective and patients will survive even five years after. If the cancer has given metastasis the treatment will not be so effective any more and half of the diagnosed patients will live less that five years.

For greater resources on colon cancer or especially about colon cancer symptoms please visit this link http://www.colon-cancer-center.com/colon-cancer-symptoms.htm

Defend Youself From Colon Cancer

Over 100,000 people will find out that they have colon cancer just in the United States alone. Colon cancer is one of the most spread cancer types in the U.S. while being the second and third factor of cancer death. But, thanks to new screening methods cancer can be diagnosed in its earliest stages resulting in a rising number of people being cured of this disease.

Since an abnormal cell needs 10-15 years to evolve into colorectal cancer, regular cancer testing would help diagnose and cure it before becoming a problem.

It is recommended that routine colonoscopies should be made every ten years since the age of 50. If you know that in your family someone had colon cancer or any other cancer forms you should start regular screenings more frequently and since at an earlier age.

The reason thatcolon cancer emerges is unknown and since it’s useless to prevent the abnormal cells from appearing there are measurements you can do to prevent it.

Two kinds of risk factors cause colorectal cancer: the ones you can do something about and the ones you can't control. The last type of factors includes:

* Age. The risk of getting colon cancer increases with the age. Sure, the risk exists even if you are young but it's way smaller.

* Family history. If some close relative of you has adenamotous polyps or colorectal cancer while they are still young your doctor will recommend colorectal cancer screenings before you are 50 years old because of the increased risk of developing the disease.

* Other risk increasing diseases. If you have Crohn's disease or any other chronic inflammatory bowel disease the risk for developing colon cancer increases. It is recommended having regular screenings after you have been diagnosed with any inflammatory bowel disease. If you have diabetes your risk of having colon cancer increases by 40 percent.

* Ethnic Background. Eastern Europeans, Jewish population and the African Americans tend to have an increased factor risk for colorectal cancer due to a genetic mutation.

Your doctor should be informed if you think you have some of these factors. Depending on these factors your doctor will advise you to begin the colorectal screenings earlier.

The risk factors that you can control include:
 

* The diet. Animal fats increase the risks of colon cancer. It is known that many fruits and vegetables lower the risk of cancer formation so it's recommended to have them every day and trying to substitute animal based food with "green" products.
 

* Exercise. Exercising will increase your fitness and in the same time lower the risk of most diseases including colorectal cancer.
 

* Obesity. Overweight is increases the chances of dying from colorectal cancer. You need to speak with your doctor about helping you lose some weight.
 

* Smoking. This is responsable for 12 percent of all deaths caused by colorectal cancer. Besides, the chemicals contained by cigarettes are responsable for all sorts of cancer.
 

* Alcohol. You can lower the risk of colorectal cancer by consuming less alcohol because, large alcohol intake increases the risk.

It really doesn't matter what your risk factor is. You can change the development of colon cancer by maintaining a healthy life. This includes exercising, having care of your diet and weight and limiting smoking and drinking.

For more resource on different colon cancer subjects please click this link http://www.colon-cancer-center.com. You can also find valuable information about metastatic colon cancer or even about colon cancer treatment

The Main Types of Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is one the most prevalent forms of cancer among the American population. Although inappropriate diet and unhealthy lifestyle considerably increase the risks of developing colon cancer, many forms of the disease occur on the premises of underlying genetic predispositions. Statistics reveal that more than 5 percent of colon cancers worldwide are caused solely by genetic dysfunctions and physiologic abnormalities. Depending on their underlying cause, colon cancers can be either acquired (sporadic colon cancers), or genetically-inherited.

Most cases of colon cancer occur due to formation of polyps in different regions of the large bowel (colon). Colonic polyps are prominent soft tissues that can easily become malignant. There are many different types of hereditary colon cancers and many of them are primarily caused by colonic polyps. The most common types of genetically-inherited colon cancers are adenomatous polyposis and Gardner’s syndrome. Non-polyposis colon cancer is also common among hereditary forms of the disease. Unlike other types of genetically-inherited colon cancers, non-polyposis colon cancer doesn’t always involve the formation of polyps. Uncommon forms of hereditary colon cancer are Peutz-Jeghers syndrome and juvenile polyposis.

Unlike non-hereditary forms of colon cancer, which are usually developed by people with ages over 50, hereditary colon cancers can occur in young people as well. In fact, some forms of genetically-inherited colon cancers are predominantly developed by very young children and teenagers.

People who have a family history of colon cancer should pay regular visits to an oncologist, as it is very important to timely reveal the signs of large bowel disease in order to maximize the chances of recovery. Discovered in its incipient stages, colon cancer can be effectively overcome through the means of surgical intervention or specific therapies. However, if colon cancer is discovered late, patients’ prognosis is generally uncertain.

Colonoscopy is a very common and reliable method of revealing traces of colon cancer in patients. Through the means of colonoscopy, doctors can quickly spot potential signs of abnormalities at the level of the large bowel. Colonoscopy is very useful in the process of diagnosing hereditary or sporadic forms of colon cancer, as it can easily reveal the presence of malignant colonic polyps or extended tumors. People who have blood-relatives affected by colon cancer are very exposed to developing the disease as well. Thus, they should receive frequent examinations with colonoscopy in order to timely discover signs of malignant activity at the level of the large bowel.

Both acquired (sporadic) and hereditary colon cancers are life-threatening diseases and they need to be discovered as soon as possible in order to minimize the risk of morbidity. Colon cancers have an unpredictable pattern of evolution and their development is strongly influenced by genetically-inherited abnormalities. While lifestyle improvements and healthy diet can diminish the risks of developing sporadic colon cancer, people with underlying physiological abnormalities of the large bowel are very vulnerable to developing hereditary colon cancer regardless of their actions.

For more resource on different colon cancer subjects please click this link http://www.colon-cancer-center.com. You can also find valuable information about http://www.colon-cancer-center.com or even about colon cancer symptoms

Colon Cancer From Cheese?

My neighbor was labeled as "cheese man", as he used to bring us lovely cheese specialties from his privately owned cheese house. After 2 years of the launching of the business, he disappeared and no one knew where he had gone. We started to worry. Later, after he returned home, we were informed that he had been to the hospital because he had developed colon cancer. How? - we wondered as he ate the right kinds of food. He used to eat high-fiber food for breakfast, yogurt, juice, tons of fruits, and cheese. He was one of the healthiest people we had ever known.

There was no reason for him to develop colon cancer, yet it happened. The reason? Constant exposure to cold in his cheese depot. He used to spend 8 hours in a huge fridge. A large piece of his colon had to be removed and he was living with a bag hanging from his side. He had immense pain and could only eat liquid for nearly six months. I have seen his pain and struggle, since then I have been very conscious of my circumstances and the exposure to which my body is object.

Cancer does not differentiate. It can come to everyone. Yet not many of us are aware of the risks that lead to developing this disease. Our digestive system is at times not given due importance or attention. People are not clear about the difference between their appendix, small intestine, and colon.

What causes colon cancer? Colon cancer can develop from growing of polyps in the colon. These growths that have a mushroom-like shape, are not deadly, but some may develop into cancer with time. The cancer is diagnosed through colonoscopy, a rather painful examination. Treatment is via surgical intervention which in certain cases has to be followed by chemotherapy.

The patient in many cases do not experiences any symptoms, i.e., asymptomatic. Therefore, fecal occult blood testing is recommended to be carried out on a regular basis. Symptoms become stronger with the lesion being closer to the anus. Such symptoms are changing in bowel habits. For example, change in frequency, quality and consistency of stool, bloody stools, stools with mucus, stool with melena (black color due to oxidation of the iron in hemoglobin as it passes through the colon.) Anemia with dizziness, anorexia, and asthenia, weakness are symptoms as well.

Mostly people over the age of 60 are at risk of developing colon cancer. Removal of colon polyps in time reduces the possible risk of cancer. Individuals with previous colon cancer are apt to developing it again in the future. This disease can be developed on hereditary basis. Needless to say, smoking is a high risk for this type of cancer.

Insufficient consumption of fresh vegetables and fish, and over consumption of red meat can lead to this disease. Naturally, if you are physically active, your digestive system works better and faster, therefore you are at less risk. Human papilloma virus can be the cause of this cancer, therefore you need to check the nature of your virus with your physician when you catch any. Early diagnosis can save your life.

For more information on cancer try visiting http://www.cancercondition.com - a website that specializes in providing cancer related information and resources including information on colon cancer