Article Manza - The Articles Directory | How One Can Avoid Colon Cancer – Its Origin May Be The Answer For Its Prevention

Do you feel anxious concerning colon cancer? Late phase colorectal cancer is a particularly deadly disease that claims the lives of over 50,000 annually in the US alone. What can be performed to guard yourself from this illness? Here we focus on the preventive measures you'll be able to take to realize optimum colon health.

When a person steps on the age of 50 years old, he has also embraced the risks and possibilities of developing colon cancer. Although not all, but most incidents of colon malignancies had shown that individuals on their 50s are much more vulnerable to the said disease. This illness involves the body’s temporary holding organ for feces, the colon, which disposes the said wastes through defecation. Despite of the risk on the said age group (50 years old and above), colon cancer can be deterred by eradicating other contributory factors to the disease development.

Vulnerability to colon cancer is dependent on a person’s exposure to risk factors. However, anyone can be a victim of this notorious malignant disease. Age has been identified previously to have increased the possibility of having colon cancer. Other variables that may aggravate one’s chance of having malignancy in the intestine are increased intake of fatty foods, minimal or totally fiber-free diet, smoking and colon polyps.

Moreover, identifying the colon cancer risk factors establishes a guide for health care professionals to plot prophylactic interventions against intestinal malignancy. One of the medical recommendations which gained A+ rate from physicians is promoting early diagnosis through colonoscopy. This diagnostic procedure provides a video image of the internal structure of the colon with the use of colonoscope (flexible lighted tube with built-in camera), which can be viewed through a video screen. Any abnormalities in the anatomical structures of the colon such as polyps’ growth will be captured through the video. Consequently, polyp removal by surgery is one of the available options to hinder further cellular aberration, which may become cancerous when ignored.

However, the diet issue on colon cancer must be addressed down to the level of the food content involved. Fiber is believed to prevent malignancy in the colon by promoting regular good bowel movement; thereby, wastes and toxins that might harm the colon cells are not held for too long in the gut. Moreover, high cholesterol level is considered a significant factor causing an increased amount of natural carcinogens produced by the body called free-radicals.

The normal metabolism of the body is responsible for the production of free-radicals. However, the destruction caused by free-radicals are controlled and even prevented by the natural antioxidants like glutathione. Therefore, other aspects that may cause imbalance between free-radicals and antioxidants’ level such as high blood cholesterol must be totally avoided. Cholesterol molecules are susceptible to be transformed into free-radicals because free- radicals may bind and steal ions from them. Hence, it is logical to say that high blood cholesterol level is directly proportional to the amount of free-radicals in the body. This means that an increase in cholesterol level increases the free radicals level as well and vice versa.

In addition, habitual cigarette or tobacco smoking is also a popular source of carcinogens. Taking in the hazardous chemicals from smoking exacerbates the cellular damage caused by free radicals. Hence, the recommendations are “stop smoking” for smokers and “never smoker” for non-smokers.

In general, an in-depth knowledge on the causes and risk factors of colon cancer including those variables mentioned above plays an essential role in avoiding this malignant disease. If these risk factors are not completely eliminated, at least set limitations and control exposures on them.

The information offered through this commentary isn't a substitute to trained care and shouldn't be used for diagnosing or providing treatment for a health issue or ailment. It's best to talk to your health care provider should you have or presume you might have a health problem.