Risk Factors in Bowel Cancer
By Roger Cuff
Most of us flirt with the risk factors for bowel cancer. How many of us don't exercise enough; eat the wrong foods and have bad habits such as drinking and smoking that are not conducive to good health? How many of us are stressed in our high powered lifestyles and don't seem to have enough time to exercise or prepare healthy meals?
So what are the risk factors for bowel cancer and what can we do about them.
The main risk factor of bowel cancer is age.
* 83% of people who get bowel cancer are over the age of 60yrs.
* Poor diet.
* Lack of exercise.
* Smoking.
* Being over the age of 50. (risk increases with age)
* You have a family history of bowel cancer.
* If you have ever had Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.
* If you have previously had polyps called adenomas in your bowel.
So, if 83% of people who get bowel cancer are over the age of 60 years and I'm well under that, I'm safe, right? Not exactly, there's still17% left who get bowel cancer below that age and some in their 20's.
So what to do? For a start, if you are approaching 60years old, book yourself in for a colonoscopy. Who knows they may find nothing, on the other hand they may find something that can be dealt with before it gets serious. For those younger, be vigilant and look for any signs and symptoms that may manifest themselves.
Fortunately bowel cancer is fairly slow in developing; unfortunately it doesn't show symptoms until it's developed. Therefore, the earlier you go to the doctor, if any symptoms do occur, the better for your long term survival.
Poor diet, something a lot of us suffer from. Whether it be fast food for convenience sake or those yummy snacks we eat when we are probably not even hungry, it doesn't matter, they take their toll. For a start this type of food will probably be high in fat or processed to death. Take your pick, neither is good. Fresh vegetables and fruit are a good start on the road to good eating habits. Plenty of fibre and water to get the flow going is another plus on the road to good eating habits. There are plenty of books on the subject, go out and find them and educate yourself.
Lack of exercise, another pastime we often ignore, especially when we are asleep in front of the TV. You don't have to be a marathon runner to exercise. Walking is extremely good for you.10,000 steps a day is fantastic. Get yourself one of those step counters and clip it to your belt and see how much you walk in a single day. Some will be pleasantly surprised and some will be disappointed. The good thing is it's a simple way to define and reach your goal. Be good to yourself and use the stairs, walk the dog, walk to the shops and leave the car at home. Do any sort of walking to get your 10,000 steps and you are heading toward the healthy zone.
My next article will finish off the risk factors we started in this article.
Roger Cuff is a freelance writer living near Sydney, Australia. He has currently just finished his book about long term survivors of bowel cancer and the strategies they used to survive. http://www.survivingbowelcancer.com
To contact Roger email to: leeger@westnet.com.au
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