There are numerous factors and underlying conditions responsible for the development of colorectal cancer. Some of the factors including age, family history of colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease (crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) and diverticulitis are beyond human control. To deal with these risk factors the only two helpful steps involve symptoms recognition and frequent screening tests for colorectal cancer.
The potential risk of colorectal cancer increases in people above 40 years of age. People have to be really cautious about their diet and lifestyle after this age in order to increase their natural immunity against colorectal cancer. They must be able to recognize the symptoms associated with colon cancer and they must have a screening test like colonoscopy, which is recommended after every 10 years. The main objective of these screening tests is to detect this cancer in the early stages, when the chances of survival are above 90%. However, the tragedy is that most of the patients are diagnosed at late stages, when the treatment becomes less effective.That is the sole reason behind almost 50,000 deaths in USA each year, because of colon cancer. Experts strongly believe that this mortality rate can drop to 60% with early diagnosis of colon cancer. Therefore, professional have a great emphasis on encouraging people to go for the screening tests. One major hurdle in the early detection of this cancer is that people feel embarrassed to talk about the issues related to their bowels and have unknown fear about the screening tests for colon cancer. Only awareness about the disease and procedures can overcome these hurdles.
Controllable factors to avoid colon cancer include dietary and lifestyle changes. The diet which strengthens the colon functioning and makes it less vulnerable to diseases includes low fats, vegetables, fruits and foods which are high in natural fiber. Avoidance of red and processed meat is highly recommended. One should give more preference to fish, which has omega 3 fatty acids that lower the risk of colon cancer. Moreover, avoidance of smoking cigarettes and alcohol consumption is mandatory in order to reduce the risk this life threatening illness.
One cannot underestimate the significance of regular exercise and its positive effects on health. Doctors highly recommend 30 minutes of daily exercise along with other lifestyle changes for preventing colorectal cancer. Obesity is one of the risk factors for colorectal cancer, therefore maintaining a healthy weight must be a serious concern.
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