KHON Video: Ask a Specialist - How to Prevent Colon Cancer
Video and content courtesy of KHON2
ROSS: If you’re between the ages of 50 and 75, the Centers for Disease Control recommends that you get screened for colon cancer. This morning on Ask a Specialist, we’ll talk about what you need to know with Doctor Jennifer Tamai, a gastroenterologist at the Queen’s Medical Center. Good morning doctor, thanks so much for joining us this morning.
DOCTOR JENNIFER: Good morning, glad to be here.
ROSS: First of all, what is colon cancer?
DOCTOR JENNIFER: Colon cancer is a colon or rectal mass that usually arises from the wall of the intestine. Most people in Hawaii are diagnosed around the age of 55. There are about 700 new diagnosed cases yearly in Hawaii. That makes it roughly the 3rd most diagnosed cancer in Hawaii. There are about 200 people in Hawaii die of colon cancer every year.
ROSS: So, how does colon cancer develop?
DOCTOR JENNIFER: It usually develops from a polyp or a lesion that starts very small. Some of these polyps will not become colon cancer, but some of them have the potential to develop over time into colon cancer. Depending on the size and the amount of polyps someone has, it puts them at an increased risk of developing colon cancer in the future.
ROSS: So, how can people prevent colon cancer in terms of like eating better, watching what they eat, and exercising?
DOCTOR JENNIFER: So, the most important thing is a healthy lifestyle- that’s great. Also, getting screened or tested for colon cancer. The best way to get screened is to talk to your primary care physician or gastroenterologist. They’ll probably offer one of two tests. One is a colonoscopy, of course, that looks inside your colon with a camera and can take out any polyp or lesion that might look suspicious. The other option is to get an annual fit test, which is a stool test that checks blood in the stool. That can help determine whether or not you need a colonoscopy in the future. So, usually, we start at age 50 and if you have any risk factor such as a family history, we start earlier. Screening for colon cancer definitely saves life.
ROSS: Alright, starting from 50, awesome. Now to learn more about screening for colon cancer just visit www.queens.org and click on “cancer.” Doctor thanks so much for joining us this morning and we really appreciate it.
DOCTOR JENNIFER: Thank you, appreciate it.
Ways to Lower the Risk of colon cancer
Preventing colon cancer is the best way to avoid suffering from colon cancer. While screening offers you the best bet for detecting and preventing colon cancer, you can also incorporate the following practices to lower the risk of colon cancer.
1. Quit smoking
Smoking tobacco increases your risk of suffering from and dying of colon cancer, especially for females who smoke tobacco. Although tobacco smoking results in a physical and mental addiction, you can quit it if you set your mind to it and seek help.
Your quitting plan will include some medicines, a way to change your habits, and emotional support from friends and family. You can check out this 9-step guide to quitting tobacco smoking published by the American Cancer Society.
2. Stop alcohol intake
Do you know that alcohol accounts for almost 6% of all cancers? It also leads to about 4% of all cancer deaths in America. As such, stopping the intake of alcohol increases your chances of having a healthy lifestyle far from colon cancer.
It doesn’t matter which type of alcoholic drink you take since they all have a common ingredient- ethanol. The overall amount of alcohol you consume over time increases your risk of colon cancer. Ethanol increases your risk of developing cancer in the following ways;
Ethanol damages your body tissues and leads to a DNA change during the repairing process that causes cancer.
Ethanol slows down your body’s metabolism rate of harmful chemicals. Thus, it increases your exposure to chemicals that may cause cancer, including tobacco smoke. If you smoke and drink, you’re at a higher risk of developing cancer than someone who only drinks.
In women, it affects the production of estrogen and other hormones. This increases the risk of women suffering from cancer, especially breast cancer.
Too much alcohol intake can lead to weight gain in some people. Adding weight may lead to excess body fat and increase your risk of colon cancer.
Alcohol intake limits the absorption of essential nutrients and vitamins, like folate. Folate is crucial for the health of your body cells. Low levels of folate increase your risk of developing colorectal cancer.
You can prevent developing colon cancer when you stop drinking alcohol. However, if you choose to drink, keep it to a minimum.
Women can drink a single drink a day because their bodies are small and tend to break down alcohol slowly. Men should take not more than 2 drinks a day as per the America Cancer Society Guideline for Diet and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention.
3. Incorporate lots of vegetables, legumes, fruits, and whole grains in your diet
Science has come a long way in proving that what you eat influences the health of your body. This is the case with cancer prevention, where plant-based diets decrease the risk of developing cancer.
So, it’s important to include lots of vegetables, legumes, fruits, and whole grains in your diet. Such foods are rich in fiber, phytochemicals (biological compounds), and nutrients essential in cancer prevention. The trick in dieting is to avoid highly processed foods with sweeteners and preservatives.
If you don’t know where to start in dieting, you can adopt the New American Plate technique. It balances your plate by including two-thirds of plant-based foods and the rest with animal-based proteins from white meat like seafood and poultry.
4. Exercise regularly
Regular workouts have several benefits that include; preventing cancer, reducing heart-related diseases, improving your immune system, and boosting your hormone levels.
They prevent the development of cancer by controlling your weight. Adults should engage in activities with vigorous intensity for 75 to 100 minutes or moderate-intensity activities for 150 to 300 minutes. Kids qualify for a 60-minute workout of either moderate or vigorous-intensity exercise.
Moderate activities increase your breathing and include activities like brisk walking, biking, and gardening. As for vigorous activities, they make you breathe deeper, increase your heart rate, sweat more, and engage your muscles more.
You should exercise more to prevent colon cancer. You can exercise more than recommended. Remember to hydrate often and have a healthy diet when exercising.
5. Take charge of your weight!
Weight management is a chronic problem in America that affects around 71% of adults. These adults are obese or overweight because of physical inactivity and poor eating habits. This increases their risk of developing cancer since excess body fat affects the following biological functions;
The ability of the body cells to live longer and spread
Hormonal imbalances like estrogen contribute to cell growth
Affecting other factors that control cell growth like the insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1)
It interferes with the immune system and the inflammation process
The growth rate of blood vessels is also affected
It’s, therefore, advisable to exercise regularly and maintain healthy eating habits to achieve normal body weight. You measure your body weight by calculating your Body Mass Index (BMI).
BMI takes account of your weight and height to classify you in the following weight categories;
Underweight- your BMI is below 18.5
Normal weight- your BMI ranges from 18.5 to 24.9
Overweight- your BMI is between 25 and 29.9
Obese- your BMI is 30+
Wrapping up
Your first step in identifying and preventing the risk of developing colon cancer is having annual screening tests. You should make screening for cancer a mandatory annual exercise once you attain age 50. However, people with a high risk of developing colon cancer should do regular screening runs. These include people with a family history of cancer since it’s genetic.
Other factors that increase your risk of developing colon cancer include the following;
Tobacco smoking
Alcohol intake, especially in large amounts
Physical inactivity
Poor eating habits
Being overweight or obese
You can lower these risks of developing colon cancer by exercising regularly, quitting smoking, abstaining from drinking alcohol, and observing healthy eating habits.
