The United States has the seventh highest cancer occurrence rate in the world. The causes are traced back to consuming too many processed dairy products, eating too much red meat, tobacco use, and obesity to name a few.
It should come as no surprise then that the Western world’s carbohydrate addiction is now being linked as one of the leading colorectal cancer causes.
Colorectal cancer is the third deadliest cancer.
The imbalance in the Western diet of high-fat, low nutrition foods has been under fire for decades but it is now resulting in far too many deaths to ignore.
Approximately one person in every twenty people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in their lifetime and the risks are higher for men than for women.
According to the American Cancer Society, there were more than 135,000 diagnosis of colorectal cancers in the last year.
More than 50,000 people died as a result of colorectal cancer in 2014.
Risk Factors for Colorectal Cancer
- Age: More than 90% of patients diagnosed are over age 50 though there are patients as young as 20.
- Personal History: If you’ve been diagnosed with polyps, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn’s disease, or ulcerative colitis then your risk for colorectal cancer is much higher.
- Family History: Approximately 1 in 5 people with an immediate family member who has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer are also diagnosed with the disease.
- Diabetes: Colorectal cancer causes often mirror the causes for diabetes so similar diets and lifestyle changes are recommended.
- Diet: If you consume a diet high in red meat, low in fiber, processed foods, high fats, and high carbohydrates, then you double your risk for colorectal cancer. A diet high in fruits, vegetables, high fiber, and water will help lower your overall risk of illness and disease.
- Lack of Exercise: Making time for regular exercise reduces your overall risk for many forms of cancer, including colorectal cancer. Going for a 15-minute walk each day will lower your overall risk of cancer as well as many other diseases.
- Obesity: If you are overweight or obese, your risk is not only higher for developing colorectal disease – there is a much greater chance that you will die from it. Maintaining a healthy body weight is pivotal to total body wellness.
- Tobacco and Alcohol Abuse: As with obesity, risk for the disease and death are higher if you smoke or drink excessively. Both increase system inflammation, which is a leading factor in cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.
Awareness of Colorectal Cancer Causes & Prevention
If you are in any of the high-risk groups above, regular screening, a nutritional diet, consistent exercise, and maintaining a healthy body weight are crucial to continued good health. Here are a few more tips.
- Take a multi-vitamin that includes folate, magnesium, vitamin D, and calcium.
- If you are pre or post-menopausal, consider hormone replacement therapy.
- Genetic testing if you are unsure of your risk.
Refined sugars have exploded in the world of food manufacturing. High fructose corn syrup (HFCS) is one of the most commonly used additives to the over-processed food too many are consuming.
Not So Sweet After All
As the use of this “sweet poison” rises…so do incidences of this deadly disease.
Researchers at the University of North Carolina conducted their study using mice to determine the link between colon cancer and carbohydrates. Using mice susceptible to cancer, they discovered that a diet low in sugar and starch reduced the growth of tumors and polyps.
The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published a study from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute that confirmed the result in humans.
Following more than 1,000 patients diagnosed with advanced colon cancer, they found that patients who ate high sugar, high starch diets experienced a relapse twice as often. The number is higher for patients who are overweight.
The Hard Truth
No one likes to change and you’re probably no different. It’s hard to give up the stuff we love and sacrifice a treat.
The end result…your health…is worth avoiding pre-packaged, over-processed, chemical-laden foods that do nothing to feed your body and instead rob your body of the long life you deserve.
