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