The tips in the video below may help protect you from colorectal cancer and keep you healthier.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the U.S. There’s no sure way to prevent the disease, but the video below provides tips on how to lower your risk.
These include:
Follow Healthy Habits
- Eat a high-fiber diet
- Move more
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Eat less animal fat
- Limit alcohol
- Avoid tobacco
Get Screened
- Almost all colorectal cancers begin as precancerous polyps. Polyps found during screening can be removed before they become cancer.
- The American Cancer Society recommends screening starting at age 45 (or earlier if you are at an increased risk).
- Screening is the best way to protect yourself from the disease.
“Recent data suggests that more colon cancer is being found prior to age 50. ACP (American College of Physicians) and ACS (American Cancer Society) guidelines recommend starting at age 45. USPSTF (US Preventative Service Task Force) recommends starting at age 50. ACG (American College of Gastroenterology) recommends starting screening at age 45 for African American patients and age 50, otherwise. The guidelines are not standardized. Whether insurance will cover a colonoscopy prior to age 50 depends on insurance. Certainly, if you have symptoms (such as blood in stool) evaluation prior to age 50 is recommended. In terms of screening, colonoscopy is the preferred method of screening because of its sensitivity for small polyps and because it can prevent colon cancer by removing the polyps during the procedure.”
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Date Last Reviewed: December 23, 2019
Editorial Review: Andrea Cohen, Editorial Director, Baldwin Publishing, Inc. Contact Editor
Medical Review: Perry Pitkow, MD
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