JustCare

Tag: Colorectal cancer

  • Colorectal cancer: How to minimize your risk

    Colorectal cancer: How to minimize your risk

    Fewer American’s over 65 have been getting colorectal cancer in the last 30 years. Older adults are getting screened and are more aware of the need to take care of themselves. But, colorectal cancer is rising among younger Americans at a rapid pace, writes Dr. Alessandro Fichera at healthmatters.nyp.org

    Some people have a genetic predisposition to colorectal cancer. If you have a family history of a mother, father or sibling with polyps, you are at an increased risk of colorectal cancer. Get screened early, at least ten years sooner than your relative was diagnosed.

    Diet plays a significant role in whether you get colorectal cancer. Your diet can inflame your gut and your bowels. This inflammation can cause colorectal cancer. To some extent, you can minimize your risk of colorectal cancer by eating healthy.

    Here’s what to eat for a healthier colon:
    • Foods with fiber, such as plant-based foods, including fruits and vegetables such as kale, leafy greens, spinach
    • Whole grains
    • Seafood
    • Nuts and berries
    Here’s what not to eat for a healthier colon.
    • Avoid ultraprocessed foods
    • Avoid foods high in fat, particularly animal fat
    • Avoid red meat and processed meat, particularly hot dogs, salami, cold cuts and bacon
    • Avoid sugary drinks, particularly foods with high fructose corn syrup
    • Avoid alcohol
    • Avoid smoking
    About four percent of men and women in the US will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Overall, the rate of people being newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer is declining (36.5 per 100,000,) as is the death rate (12.9 per 100,000) from colorectal cancer. There were nearly 153,000 Americans newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2024, representing 7.6 percent of all new cancer cases.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • New report finds alcohol is likely responsible for rise in cancer rates

    New report finds alcohol is likely responsible for rise in cancer rates

    Roni Caryn Rabin reports for The New York Times on the increase in rates of colorectal and breast cancer and a new report from the American Association for Cancer Research that finds a possible link between these cancers and alcohol consumption. Drinking alcohol increases your likelihood of getting cancer.

    Cancer rates are falling. But, more people are getting certain types of cancer for reasons yet unknown. Of note, 40 percent of cancer cases are linked to behaviors that can be changed.

    The report urges people to drink less alcohol, stop smoking, eat a healthy diet, exercise, avoid ultraviolet radiation and stay away from pollutants. It recommends adding warning labels to alcohol products. Drinking alcohol affects the bacteria in your gut, which in turn can lead to cancer growing and spreading.

    New data is showing that people who drink small amounts or in moderation do not reduce their risk of heart disease relative to people who drink occasionally. In fact moderate and light drinkers are more likely to die from cancer than occasional drinkers.

    Put differently, it’s a myth that drinking red wine will help your heart. Whatever benefits you get from drinking red wine are outweighed by your risk of getting cancer.

    More than one in 20 cancer (5.4 percent) diagnoses today are attributed to drinking alcohol. What types of cancer are you most likely to get from drinking alcohol? Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma as well as some types of head, neck, breast, colorectal, liver and stomach cancers.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Should you be taking aspirin every day?

    Should you be taking aspirin every day?

    When it comes to health care, everyone needs options tailored to their particular needs. That’s the beauty of traditional Medicare–it is one size fits all, working for everyone, so long as they have supplemental coverage. It’s also why the US Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendation against the use of daily aspirin for most people does not apply to everyone. Should you be taking aspirin every day?

    As reported in Just Care last week, the USPSTF recently recommended against the use of daily low-dose aspirin for most people because it determined that the risk of internal bleeding was greater than the benefits. However, that recommendation is the rule, for which there are likely exceptions. Andrew Chan, the director of cancer epidemiology at the Mass. General Cancer Center and a professor at Harvard Medical School, believes that powerful evidence indicates that low-dose aspirin can be effective in preventing colorectal cancer.

    Chan argues that the USPSTF is wrong to suggest that the evidence of the benefits of low-dose daily aspirin use is inconclusive when it comes to colorectal cancer. Chan’s research team found that people can benefit from taking aspirin if they start before they turn 70 and ward off colorectal cancer. If they start at 70, the data indicates that it might be too late to ward off cancer.

    Chan appreciates that there are serious risks of internal bleeding for some people who take low-dose aspirin daily. The key is to identify those people and make sure that they are not prescribed daily aspirin use. At the same time, Chan believes that low-dose aspirin can have beneficial anticancer effects for some people. It’s important to understand who can benefit.

    Science is evolving so it will likely be possible to understand a lot more about the population who benefits from taking daily aspirin and the population whose health is endangered from daily aspirin intake. Chan would like to see studies that identify biomarkers or another molecular factor that is able to calibrate risks and benefits of aspirin for particular individuals. He says that preventive medicine should be looking into this.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Processed foods and fast foods have bigger health risks than you might think

    Processed foods and fast foods have bigger health risks than you might think

    Fast foods and processed foods have bigger health risks than you might think. The problem with fast foods is the calories and amount of salt. The problem with processed foods is the nitrates, nitrites and other chemicals used to preserve them. Avoid them if you can!

    Researchers looked at nearly 2,000 fast food items at 10 chains over a 30-year period. They found that fast foods are even less healthy today than they were 30 years ago. Fast food items have more fat and more salt; they also weigh more. 

    And, the New York Times reports that menu-labeling has not been as much of a help as people thought it might be. Surprisingly, the typical dessert in 2016 has 186 more calories than in 1986. French fries have a lot more salt, even though the portion is about the same as it always has been.

    Deli meats are also bad for you, according to the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR). Eating even a small portion of deli meats increases your risks of stomach and colorectal cancer. Deli meats include all meats that are smoked, salted, cured or have other preservatives–bacon, hot dogs, ham, and bologna, as well as sliced turkey from the deli counter.

    Additionally, the AICR warns that red meat, including beef, pork and lamb, can increase your risk of colorectal cancer. It advises not to eat more than 18 ounces a week.

    Here’s more from Just Care:

  • Be sure to get your cancer screenings

    Be sure to get your cancer screenings

    Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control reveals that we need to do a better job of getting cancer screening tests.  Screenings for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer were below targets in 2013. Some twenty percent or more of women are still not getting one or more of these tests.

    The CDC in fact found no improvement in cancer screening rates between 2010 and 2013.

    1. Only about three out of four women (73 percent) between the ages of 50 and 74 received a mammography screening.  The recommendation is a screening every two years for people in that age group. (For more information, check out “Do mammograms do more harm than good?“)
    2. Four out of five women (80 percent) reported getting a Pap smear to test for cervical cancer, fewer than in previous years.
    3. Fewer then six out of ten women (58.2 percent) between 50 and 74 reported getting a screening for colorectal cancer.

    If you have Medicare, it will cover these screenings in full.  It also covers several other preventive tests in full if you qualify, including nutrition counseling, weight-loss counseling, smoking cessation counseling.