Colon cancer is a type of cancer that begins in the large intestine and usually affects older adults, although it can occur at any age, according to the Mayo Clinic, a nonprofit organization dedicated to clinical practice, education and the investigation.
In addition, Medline Plus, the National Library of Medicine of the United States, revealed that you have an increased risk of colon cancer if:
- You are of African American or Eastern European origin.
- Many red or processed meats are consumed.
- Have colorectal polyps.
- You have inflammatory bowel disease (Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis).
- You have a family history of colon cancer.
Along the same lines, he indicated that the stages of colon cancer are:
- Stage 0: cancer at a very early stage in the innermost layer of the intestine.
- Stage I: the cancer is in the inner layers of the colon.
- Stage II: the cancer has spread through the muscular wall of the colon.
- Stage III: the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes.
- Stage IV: the cancer has spread to other organs outside the colon.
As such, the Mayo Clinic noted that symptoms include the following: a persistent change in bowel habits, including diarrhea or constipation, or a change in stool consistency, rectal bleeding or blood in the stool, persistent abdominal discomfort, such as cramps, gas or pain, a feeling that the bowel does not empty completely, weakness or fatigue, unexplained weight loss.
However, it should be noted that the non-profit organization also explained that doctors do not know exactly what causes most colon cancers, but that, In general, this begins when the healthy cells of the organ develop changes (mutations) in their DNA -this contains instructions that tell the cell what functions to perform-.
Likewise, The newspaper revealed that foods that increase the risk of colon cancer:
1. Sausages.
2. Red meat.
3. Smoked meats.
4. Toasted bread.
5. Fried.
6. Jams and honey.
7. Sweets, pastries and soft drinks.
8. White and sliced bread.
9. Ice cream cones.
10. Alcoholic beverages.
For its part, regarding treatments, the non-profit entity indicated that colon cancer treatment usually involves surgery to remove the cancer, but other treatments, such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy, may also be recommended.
For that reason, to prevent the disease, changing the diet and lifestyle is important, because medical research suggests that low-fat, high-fiber diets may help lower your risk of colon cancer.
The Mayo Clinic also recommends trying to get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days, since one in four adults do not reach the recommended levels of physical activity and women are less active (32%) than men (23%). However, people wonder what is the best time to exercise and, for this reason, experts say that it is a matter of preference, taste and schedule.
Finally, experts recommend getting a good night’s sleep, as sleep is essential for optimal health, and what experts recommend is seven to eight hours of sleep a night.
In any case, the information given above in no way replaces medical advice and therefore the first thing to do is consult a health expert so that he or she can guide the process and indicate what is most appropriate for each person. .