Colon cancer prevention: These five simple tips to reduce the risk of disease
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in Germany. According to doctors, most of the colon would be to avoid cancer, when five simple rules in everyday life were met.
Early detection can save lives
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in Germany. Each year, approximately 26,000 people die in this country in mind. Many diseases could be prevented if more people would regularly go to the screening. The colonoscopy is especially important if it is in the family of colorectal cancer cases. In addition, the cancer risk through a healthy lifestyle reduce. Experts highlight here are five simple rules especially.
Five important life-style factors
According to health experts, colon cancer is currently in Germany for men the third most common and in women the second most common tumor disease.
In the Video: Five simple rules to prevent colon cancer
“Among other things, the nutritional – and lifestyle habits,” explains Michael Hoffmeister of the German cancer research center (DKFZ) in a message.
“But everyone can reduce his risk for colon cancer by looking for a healthy lifestyle,” says the researcher.
This is shown also in a in the journal “Gastroenterology” published a study that Hoffmeister and his colleagues from the DKFZ, the data of more than 4,000 colorectal cancer patients and 3,000 healthy controls analyzed.
From the investigation have identified five lifestyle factors that are associated with a lower likelihood of colorectal cancer:
1. on the bus
2. little or no alcohol to drink
3. a healthy diet
4. a normal body weight keep
5. sufficient physical activity
Healthy lifestyle maintain
“The more healthy lifestyle factors participants in the study to participate in, the lower your risk of developing bowel cancer,” explains Hoffmeister.
Thus, participants who were not Smoking, healthy-nourished and physically active were, for example, already have a lower colon cancer risk than participants who were in any of the five lifestyle factors at the healthy variant.
Who used, however, a consistently healthy life style, that is to say followed all five lifestyle factors had the lowest risk of bowel cancer.
According to the figures, the five lifestyle factors proved to be approximately equivalent in the prevention of colon cancer.
“It played a minor role, whether it’s Smoking, healthy nutrition or physical activity, the heart were. With all the variants of the study participants reduced their risk of colorectal cancer,“ added Prudence Carr, the first author of this study.
Regardless of the family history
However, the genetic consequences for the risk of developing colon cancer. According to the DKFZ have been discovered in the past few years, more than 50 gene variants, the risk of bowel cancer will increase slightly.
“There are people who, because of their genetic profile, a slightly higher risk of developing colorectal cancer than others,” explains Carr.
“However, our study shows that you can lower your colon cancer risk through a healthy lifestyle, as well as those who have a lower genetic risk,” says the scientist.
The connection between way of life and colorectal cancer risk was also independent of the family history of the study participants. It also played no role, whether or not they had had in the past have ever had a colonoscopy or not.
Also the risk for cardiovascular reduce disease
“The recommendation to pay attention to a healthy way of life, and therefore applies to every human being, regardless of his genetic risk of colon cancer,” says Hoffmeister.
“And, of course, not only the risk of colon cancer would be reduced by a healthier way of life. At the same time the risk for cardiovascular reduces diseases and many other diseases,“ stresses the expert.
The DKFZ scientists now want to investigate in further studies, how strong, in spite of a slightly elevated genetic risk due to a number of preventive measures, the risk of colon cancer lowering can – for example, through a healthier life style and the Conduct of examinations. (ad)