Colorectal Cancer

A new study comparing red meat and vegetarian diets has found that eating red meat is linked with DNA damage that raises the risk of colon cancer. Almost 17,000 people die from the disease each year.

Editor's Note:

"Race" is sometimes mentioned as a risk factor in the development of certain cancers and a number of other diseases. When you read this in a discussion about an illness, note that the explanation seldom refers to anything biological. Instead, it usually refers to behavior, such as eating habits. The kinds of behavior usually mentioned as risk factors are culturally determined. They are not genetic or biological.

Many, but not all, forms of Colorectal Cancer are preventable. As with other forms of cancer, early detection gives the best chance for full recovery. Here is a summary of a few prevention strategies. Follow the link below for the details.

Although the exact causes of colorectal cancer are not known, studies show that certain factors are linked to an increased chance of developing the disease.

Who's at risk?
There are a number of personal factors influencing who is more likely than others to develop colon or rectal cancer. Follow the link below for the details.

The USDA's top 10 antioxidant list includes:

• small red beans
• wild blueberries
• red kidney beans
• pinto beans
• blueberries
• cranberries

The US FDA is issued the following statement on May 8, 2006, in response to the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) press release on its review of the long-term carcinogenicity study of aspartame conducted by the European Ramazzini Foundation (ERF).

If the incidence of bowel and skin cancers can be reduced in mice by having them run, it is likely that exercise by humans also leads to a reduction in the incidence of these two cancers. The study attempts to explain why the exercising mice had fewer polyps in the bowel. ("An inherited condition called familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) affects about one in 10,000-15,000 people worldwide, 95% of whom will develop numerous polyps in the bowel which eventually develop into colon cancer," was reported.)

According to the Center for Disease Control, 30% of US adults over the age of 20 are obese and 16% of young people between the ages of 6 and 19 are also obese. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of many diseases and health conditions, including the following:

SMOKERS, DRINKERS AND MEN APPEAR TO DEVELOP COLORECTAL CANCER AT EARLIER AGES