[Editor’s Note:] This article was originally published in March 2016 and has been updated and republished in March 2019.
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosis among females and the third most common in men worldwide. Despite technological and pharmaceutical advancements in diagnostic and therapeutic programs, colorectal cancer has a 5-year survival rate of only 54-65%.
Unlike other cancers, colorectal cancer has biomarkers which serve as red flags for the presence of the disease. Screening of blood, tissue, and bodily fluids can detect colorectal cancer.
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month and a reminder that you and your loved ones do not have to contribute to the heartbreaking statistics. This March, take time to implement new habits into your routine for colorectal cancer prevention.
Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors
Preventing colorectal cancer primarily begins with understanding the risk factors involved. Hundreds of studies performed detected that the following lifestyle factors are associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer:
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Low physical activity
- Nutrient deficiencies such as folate and vitamin B6
- Excessive consumption of red meat and processed meat
- High BMI (body mass index)
- Low vegetable consumption
Although these risk factors for colorectal cancer should all be noted, some lifestyle habits significantly elevate your risk more than others. For instance, the evidence that processed red meat consumption (non-organic), low physical activity, and a diet poor in nature’s antioxidants (i.e. eating few or no veggies) drastically raises your likelihood of developing cancer of the colon or rectum.
5 Tips to Prevent Colorectal Cancer
#1. Reduce Processed Red Meat Consumption
The latest warning released by the World Health Organization in 2015 may have already resulted in a diminished taste for consuming red meat on a regular basis. A diet high in red meat consumption is significantly linked to an increased risk for colorectal cancer. It should be noted that this is non-organic red meat from animals fed GMO grains and pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormone. This warning does not apply to healthy amounts of red meat from animals that are grass-fed and organic. Grass-fed meat is more nutrient dense and has high levels of omega 3 fatty acids and cancer fighting conjugated linoleic acid (CLA).
Red meat contains natural compounds that transform into carcinogens when exposed to heat. The high heat flame of a grill especially increases their natural formation of toxins like polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHCs) and heterocyclic amines (HCAs) which are known cancer causing agents. These compounds interact with genes, particularly in individuals with an inherited predisposition to the disease, and cause cancerous mutations. Other sources of these carcinogens are processed meats, which are also most commonly found to contain cancer-promoting nitrites and nitrates.
To reiterate, consuming grass-fed red meat that is cooked at a lower temperature is fine. Low temperature cooking methods are critical as this produces less PAHCs and HCAs.
#2. Improve Physical Activity
Physical activity is known to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer even in individuals with increased BMIs. In other words, physical activity is an independent protective factor that you can implement in your life today regardless of your weight concerns.
Dozens of studies have found that regular exercise can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by 40%. The level of intensity, duration, frequency, and maintenance of activity over time all factor into risk reduction.
#3. Boost Vegetable Intake
Out of all understood lifestyle factors which prevent against cancer growth in the colon or rectum, increasing your vegetable intake might be the single most important prevention strategy you can adopt. Diets high in cooked green vegetables are loaded in nutrients such as vitamin C which are often deficient in colorectal cancer patients. Vitamin C has shown to be effective at neutralizing the cancerous effects of nitrates and nitrites. Nutrients like vitamin B6, abundantly found in green vegetables, can prevent cancerous activity of the p53 gene.
Cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower and broccoli (including their sprouts) are excellent sources of the chemoprotective compound isothiocyanate. This compound prevents abnormal tissue growth in both the colon and rectum and may also protect our cancer fighting genes.
#4. An Apple a Day
Is the old adage true that an apple a day will keep the doctor away? It may not be the single most powerful fruit but it does have chemoprotective properties against colorectal cancer. The only catch is that the whole fruit needs to be consumed to reap all of its protection.
Apples are a great source of dietary fiber, vitamins, and minerals, as well as phytochemicals like carotenoids, which provide pigmentation. The antioxidant profile of apples packs a weighty punch at combating free radicals and cellular damage. Its nutrients are also known to enhance other antioxidant powerhouses such as the enzyme glutathione S-transferase.
But, studies have shown that the chemopreventive mechanisms of apples are dependent on their various components. In other words, drinking apple cider or juice will not give you all the protective benefits you would receive if you were to eat the whole fruit (including the peel). Next time you reach for an unhealthy processed snack, recall that 75% of colorectal cancer cases are caused by diet − choose an organic apple instead.
#5. Berry Consumption
One of the greatest strategies to prevent against colorectal cancer is to consume a variety of colorful berries. More than 20 types of berries have shown incredible chemoprevention abilities in defending against colorectal cancer. Some of the most common types of berries you can include in your diet are:
- Black raspberries
- Strawberries
- Blackcurrants
- Acai berries
- Blueberries
- Goji berries
- Lingonberries
- Cranberries
You may have known berries are a rich source of antioxidants, but did you also know that the antioxidant concentration of berries is not easily disturbed by the digestive process and is highly available to the intestines? A plethora of bioavailable compounds are concentrated in berries including flavonoids, phenolic acids, tannins, vitamins, stilbenes, and other nutrient-dense compounds.
These compounds fight colorectal cancer in numerous ways:
- Protects cells from oxidative damage
- Suppresses inflammation
- Inhibits cell proliferation
- Stimulates cell death (apoptosis) in abnormal cells
- Prevents and repairs DNA damage to proteins, enzymes, and lipids
- Inhibits the development of new blood vessels in the process known as angiogenesis
- Reduces the activity of cancer regulating oncogenes
- Alters cellular signaling to promote antioxidant protection
- Broken down into metabolites with anticancer properties
- Promote a healthy microflora in the gut and stabilizes pH
Screening for Colorectal Cancer
Practice safe early detection! Better ways to screen for and detect cancer earlier than ever before are available and it is time to embrace these new methods. Conventional methods of detecting polyps (that could cause cancer) can be dangerous.
Safer ways of detecting the cancerous conditions in the colon are being developed. Recent studies indicate that a simple stool sample, analyzed for certain bacterial populations in the gut microbiome, may be all that is needed to determine if cancer (or precancerous conditions) exists.
Consider some of the alternative screening tests available:
- Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT or iFOBT)
- Guaiac Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT)
- Stool DNA
- M2-PK Test
Taking a good, soil-based probiotic as part of your daily routine, as well as daily exercise, is highly suggested!
Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
The benefits of consuming berries continues on but you likely do not need further convincing to start adding these fruits along with quality vegetables to your daily diet.
Screening for the cancer generally starts at age 50 but statistics shows that only 34% of people in the United States will comply with these recommendations. This National Colorectal Cancer Month, make a change to reduce your personal risk for colorectal cancer and urge others to get screened for the disease.
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Article Summary
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer diagnosis among females and the third most common in men worldwide. The 5-year survival rate of colorectal cancer is only 54-65%.
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Screening of blood, tissue, and bodily fluids can detect colorectal cancer.
Hundreds of studies have determined that the following lifestyle factors increase the risk of colorectal cancer:
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- High consumption of red meat and processed meat
- Low physical activity
- Nutrient deficiencies such as folate and vitamin B6
- High BMI (body mass index)
- Low vegetable consumption
Here are 5 ways to help prevent colorectal cancer:
1. Reduce Red Meat Consumption
2. Improve Physical Activity
3. Boost Vegetable Intake
4. An Apple a Day
5. Berry Consumption
I had stage three C colon cancer in 2014 and went through chemotherapy for 6 months. In October 2015 I was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer that had metastasized in my ovaries. I wish I had had this information and headed it a lot sooner. Since my surgery I have been following a healthier diet and this is a very helpful article in knowing more to do. Is there any evidence that this helps new colon cancer from growing?
Is it necessary to have anesthesia for a colonscopy?
Yes, I have had two and it was administered, I would think it would be more comfortable as the whole body would be relaxed. I am blessed I do not have to have another, colon in excellent shape. Good luck. @Rady Ananda
To stop the CANCER from continuing its course, look into” thetruthaboutcancer.com ,there you get all your annwers to get back to normal life.Anna.
It’s not total anesthesia…it’s called twilight. You are not awake and do not recall anything. Would need someone to bring you home…Need to see a doctor first…Gastroenterologist.
Yes, start to take Artemisinin twice a day. I took 6 capsules of Artemisinin twice a day on an empty stomach. Then after five days, according to the article on “The Wolfe Clinic” I started taking 30 Wobenzyme three times a day on an empty stomach, twice with the Artemisinin and once by itself. After five days your body builds a resistance to up taking the Artemisinin, that is why you need the Wobenzyme which is a systemic enzyme when taken on an empty stomach with a glass of water. Then I started taking Vitazyme (Serapeptaze) 6 – twice a day on an empty stomach. The serapeptaze removes the fibrin around the cancer cels enabling your body’s immune system to easily allow the artemisinin into the cancer cel to destroy the cancer cel, and only the cancer cel.
I had brain cancer 14 months ago, January, 2015 and within 2 1/2 months I was clean, cancer free. We have two other people who work for our company who have applied the same natural supplements to lung and colin cancer and they are also cancer free within the last year.
I would add B12 to the list of nutrients to take. We eat so many foods that are deficient in it and it is critical to our well being.
Anesthesia is NOT necessary for a colonoscopy. I have had three colonoscopies since October, 2013, having a mild painkiller via IV to take the edge off to avoid sudden twitching and a possible perforation during the first two procedures and nothing at all the last time. It was virtually painless. I wanted to be awake so I could see what was being found. Because of a two-inch-long-positive-for-cancer tumor that blocked 75 to 99 percent of the passageway in the sigmoid colon, the doctor recommended surgery. Having studied alternative options for dealing with cancer [ cancertutor.com among other reports ] I chose not to have surgery, chemo or radiation. While choosing to not have surgery, I left that option open if needed. It was. I had emergency surgery Christmas day, 2014, to remove a foot of my sigmoid colon, as the tumor, by then looking a healthy pink, had not shrunk. During that procedure I also had an ileostomy bag installed at the bottom of the small intestine to collect feces so that the large intestine could have time to heal after being resected during the first operation. Feb. 19, 2015 the same surgeon reversed the ileostomy surgery so everything was running smoothly. Thank goodness! Some people have to wear those bags forever…and they leak. The third colonoscopy was done the summer of 2015 to see how things were looking after healing took place. For the first time, the entire large bowel was able to be examined…and it looked squeaky clean. Unfortunately, colon cancer cells lodged in the upper anterior left lobe of the liver, forming a golfball size mass there. Surgery to remove the entire left lobe of the liver was done two days ago, March 3, 2016. The surgeon reported that the surgery went very well. I should be discharged soon.
Happy trails,
Steve Campbell
thankyou for sharing your experience!
Better than a colonoscopy. M2PK Test. And you don*t have to take a laxative or enema beforehand or undergo sedation for the test. Doctor can take the test from your stool sample and 10 minutes later you get the results . It is more reliable than other tests including blood test.
Is this more reliable than Cologuard DNA test? My husband just had one and it came back positive. They want him to have a colonoscopy now as a follow-up and we are leery of it due to so many having perforated colons. I even know of a man who died afterward. My husband does most of the things mentioned in this article. He is perfect weight, physically active, no genetic predisposition and we eat a good diet with no processed foods. I am wondering if this may be a false positive on the Cologuard. Would this M2PK test be a good follow up to the Cologuard?
Rady, I don’t believe it’s necessary. In fact, I remember reading a post where someone’s insurance wouldn’t cover anesthesia for colonoscopy.
I say yes, when I had mine, the Doctor was late and the anesthesia was wearing off. It was rather uncomfortable when he snipped for samples.
Thank god all he snipped was Popcorn Husks that was stuck in my Colon Walls. But each snip could definitely be felt, and I have a high tolerance for pain. His only recommendation afterword was to eat less popcorn which I love. I was age 65 at the time, I am 75 now.
Yes Bonnie, this is the best group of strategies (along with much of the other info on this site) for preventing the reoccurrence of colon cancer.
Hi Rady Ananda,
I take anesthesia only when it’s really, really necessary.
The people doing my colonscopy were like angels, I felt safe.
I had the chance of following the whole procedure on a screen,
very interesting to see how beautifully the body’s inside is also made, a miracle.
I felt a presure in the belly of the air put in the colon, but that had a familiar feeling to it.
I still have to have another colonscopy this year, after my first one last summer, when colorectal cancer was diagnosed.
My 3 inch tumor is gone after radiation, chemo and all the healthy tips I learned from the one and only Ty Bollinger.
Thankyou Ty, you are an angel as well. I’m so very,very thankful for all the wonderful people around me!
Good luck , Rady Ananda. love, Bettie.
What about coffee enemas?
What blood tests can be used to catch it early? Can this test be used as part of your annual? I can’t get colonoscopies and am hoping for an easier exam or blood test.
Thanks for your response
Mary, you are so correct. B12 is very low in so many individuals as is zinc, vitamin C and vitamin D levels.
MJ – coffee enemas are a great idea unless you have a fistula, blood tumor or damaged polyps – because they could hemorrhage so you have to be careful.
Becky – unexplained anemia can be an early warning sign.
Hi Bonnie,
yes, all these things help to reduce cancer risk and to fight existing tumours. However, much more than just this is required, particularly at stage 4, when you need to reverse cancer growth, and keep it from reappearing. My wife has been through similar experience, and now we have moved to only natural therapies. There is a lot out there, so much research is needed, but the Truth About Cancer website and video series (Quest for Cures, and Global Quest) are great places to start.
Have a partner, friend or relative to help with the seeking of information, as it can be overwhelming. But we now firmly believe that the right diet, lifestyle (exercise, meditation, no stress), supplements & high intake of cancer killing herbs & foods is doing what chemotherapy couldn’t do.
Best wishes to you.
Here in the Uk you tend to be offered “sedation” for a colonoscopy, which is not anesthetic procedure, but milder, but will leave you groggy. Alternatively you can opt for “gas and air” to help cope with it…a bit like child birth!!
Conscious sedation should be sufficient for a colonoscopy.
I was wondering the same thing. They never used it in the past. Makes it more risky, dont you think?
Your friend with colon cancer are they still cancer free and how long has it been, and where do you get this medicine.
I like your prevention tips. My sister was diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer at the age of 41. She had a child a year before the diagnoses. She was all organic, ran 5 miles a day and went to the gym every day, she was a vegetarian. She never smoked, drank or did drugs. I ask how a beautiful absolutely healthy young lady dies 1 year and 10 days after being diagnosed. This was in 2013 she had mets to liver, lungs, lining of stomach not sure what the technical word is and then it went to her brain(3 tumors) when it went there they told her they have reached the point of no other options to keep fighting I had asked about radiation and I knew that Stivarga was available. Because when my sister looked at me like please beg for more options I have 2 babies at home, I looked at the Doctor and asked about those 2 last options, I believe he was not happy with me, I truly did not care we all still had so much hope and death never even entered our minds, but he knew and didn’t really hint around about it or just come out and say it death that is and we were to stupid and blinded by faith to even think death. But when my sweet sister looked at me with those eyes I had to fight for her and try and save her and love and protect here. I guess my question is this after this long rant i do apologise….. How does someone like my beautiful sister get it? As you can see she lived a very healthy lifestyle. And there is no history in our family of cancer other than my grandma who had breast cancer after the age of 70 and lived till she was 98. Do (my family and I carry a gene? a broken DNA?) Can we get some sort of test to see if we carry such gene. I can not go through another family members death, like I did my sisters. CANCER is cruel, evil, devastating and yes so so so heartbreaking. It shatters the whole family, it’s a horrible painful cruel death. NOBODY EVER SHOULD HAVE TO ENDURE, NOBODY!!!
my brother and I both had colonoscopies my son was told he had to wait till he was 30. He will be 24 so he has 6 years to go. Is there any blood work they can do these days to see if we carry this devastating cancer. He doctors never ever mentioned anything of the sort. Your answer would be greatly appreciated.
Hi Lisa,
The best advice we can give you is to consult with one of the doctors/experts that we interviewed in our Global Quest Series. Here is a link to get their information: https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/experts-info-sheet/
I’m so sorry for your loss Lisa. I lost a young neice to cancer. Keep researching to find the truth and try to live as healthy a life as you can. It could have been caused from running by a road and breathing fumes. That’s the only environmental toxin I can see from your description. Or perhaps damaged DNA? I guess we may never know in this life.
Eliminate GMOs from your diet could be very helpful.
I have experienced symptoms of colorectal cancer for many years now. I had a colonoscopy done about 3yrs ago and the doctor said it was just internal and external hemorrhoids and some polyps. I am still experiencing those symptoms and suffer from them on a daily basis. All the information I read about the symptoms point to colorectal cancer. I haven’t gone back to the doctor yet but I plan to get screening. If the prognosis is colorectal cancer, I don’t plan on doing chemo or any of the other common treatments because all that is is just prolonging the inevitable and a waste of a lot of money which I do not have. My question is is can these symptoms be treated by specific diet to combat or treat it if it is colorectal cancer or is it too late? I don’t smoke, I exercise regularly and I am not over weight. I am an African American mail 47yrs old, perfect candidate for colorectal cancer. My only vice is a moderate drink multiple times a week. I do notice a difference in symptoms based on my diet so it gives me hope that it can be reversed if there is a specific diet routine I can follow. I need help because if there isn’t a good way and I go to the doctor and they say it is cancer, then I am going to just enjoy the time I have left as much as possible! Please any recommendations will help!!
Hi Robert –
We appreciate you reaching out to us about this.
Unfortunately, we are unable to give any kind of medical advice. The best advice we can give you is to consult with one of the doctors we interviewed in the Global series.
Please note that we are not able to select an expert for you.
We’ve created a page with the experts’ contact info as it was available to us.
Here’s the link to the actual webpage:
http://thetruthaboutcancer.com/experts-info-sheet/
We do have one more resource you may be interested in. During our Live Event 2017 series, Dr. Patrick Quillin suggested contacting The Institute of Functional Medicine to locate a practitioner in your area.
If you are interested, here is the link to search for a Functional Medicine Practitioner in your area: https://www.ifm.org/find-a-practitioner/
I’m also attaching the info about the Hope4Cancer clinic in Tijuana, MX if you’d like to reach out to them.
http://www.hope4cancer.com/
https://hope4cancer.com/schedule-a-call/
Please also see the resources below in case they will be helpful to you.
From our beginning, we have supported charities that really help these cancer patients.
HealingStrong:
http://healingstrong.com/
https://www.facebook.com/healingstrong
HealingStrong supports MANY cancer patients and are amazing. HealingStrong, a nonprofit organization, is supported 100% by volunteers, who are experienced in using natural strategies. The organization’s mission is to educate, encourage, equip, and empower those seeking comprehensive natural strategies to heal strong and stay strong.
HealingStrong Connect Groups meet monthly in various areas of the U.S. and South Australia to link others interested in natural strategies, holistic protocols, and local resources. Their groups focus on mind, body and emotional healing based on Biblical promises, as they believe the God of the Bible is our healer. For more information on how to start a group, or become involved in one, please go to: http://www.healingstrong.org/groups, and like us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/healingstrong.
Cancer Crackdown is so awesome and helps patients without a lot of money get supplements and treatments and even helps them raise money:
http://cancercrackdown.org/
https://www.facebook.com/CancerCrackdown
Also, the Independent Cancer Research Foundation is another charity that we support, also known as Cancer Tutor. They have been a TREMENDOUS help for cancer patients and have a TON of life saving information they give out freely and they do real research into treatments for cancer that are outside of the toxic Big Pharma Big 3:
http://www.theicrf.com/
The best that we can suggest is to contact Healing Strong and Cancer Crackdown for any need in financial resources.
We also support Mary Beth’s “Nick Gonzalez Foundation” which is bringing Nick’s protocol to the people…which is one of the most powerful cancer killing protocols out there.
I hope this is helpful! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us again if there’s anything else we can help with.
Wishing you endless blessings and love!
I had no idea that dozens of studies have found that regular exercise can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by 40%. My father recently got diagnosed with having colorectal cancer, and I want to make sure that I or any of my family members don’t get it, and want to keep the necessary preventive measures. I will definitely keep all of your great tips and information in mind when trying to prevent colorectal cancer.