It has been estimated by The World Cancer Research Fund UK (WCRF UK) that lifestyle factors such as being overweight, eating an unhealthy diet and being inactive are responsible for about a third of all cancers in developed countries (1). Cancers of the colon and recturm, often classed together as colorectal, are the third most common type of cancer worldwide. In 2002 there were about 1million cases of colorectal cancer recorded. This kind of cancer seems to be more common in men than women and is fatal in just under half of all cases, making it the fourth most common cause of death from a cancer (2).
The positive news is that food, nutrition and physical activity, so called lifestyle factors, have an important role to play in the prevention of colorectal cancer. Recently two papers have been published looking at the links between diet and lifestyle and the risk of developing colorectal cancer (3,4).
One of the papers (3) looked specifically at the UK. The researchers wanted to look at how lifestyle changes being promoted in the UK now might impact the rates of colorectal cancer in the future. They found that if we could adopt the government recommended health guidelines and stop getting fatter as a nation we could see a substantial drop in the number of people diagnosed with colorectal cancer over the next few decades. The lifestyle factors that could help reduce colorectal cancer rates included (These are the results for the UK population as a whole, they are not an indication of individual risk):
Eating less red meat – If men reduced their intake of red meat to 80 grams a day it is estimated that the incidence of colorectal cancer could fall by 13.7% by 2024. This translates to 3,642 fewer cases of the disease. The drop would be less substantial for women because they don’t eat as much red meat.
Eating more fruits and vegetables – It is estimated that eating five servings of fruits and vegetables daily would cut colorectal cancer incidence by 6.6% for men and 5.6% for women.
Exercising more – It is estimated that if we increased our average activity levels to 30 minutes five times a week we would cut our risk of developing colorectal cancer by 2.4% for men and 2.7% for women
Maintaining a healthy weight – Keeping the weight profile of UK citizens at its current level would reduce projected colorectal cancer incidence by 3.4% for men and 2.6% for women, while slimming the weight profile down to the levels it was between 1986-1987 could cut colorectal cancer incidence by 8.1% and 6.9%, respectively,
Drinking less alcohol – limiting alcohol intake to two to three drinks a day could reduce men’s risk by 5.3% and women’s by 1.4%.
Over all the scientists estimate that 31.5% of colorectal cancers in men and 18.4% in women could be prevented if reasonable targets with respect to diet (reduced consumption of red meat, increased fruit and vegetables), exercise (30 min 5 days a week), alcohol consumption (3 U a day for men, 2 U for women) and weight control were achieved(3).
The other study I mentioned (4) was a review published in the International Journal of Cancer and also looked at the impact of dietary and lifestyle risk factors on the risk of colorectal cancer. The paper looked at over 100 published studies and overall the results were similar to the UK study above, they showed that: The risk of colorectal cancer was significantly associated with alcohol: individuals consuming the most alcohol had 60% greater risk of colorectal cancer compared with non- or light drinkers. Smoking, diabetes, obesity and high meat intakes were each associated with a 20% increased risk of colorectal cancer. Physical activity was protective against colorectal cancer
Both of the studies described here (3,4) together with other evidence such as that published by the WCRF UK (1,2) clearly show that our lifestyle can have an impact on the health of our gut and may well reduce our risk of developing colon cancer. The review paper(4) states “Public-health strategies that promote modest alcohol consumption, smoking cessation, weight loss, increased physical activity and moderate consumption of red and processed meat are likely to have significant benefits at the population level for reducing the incidence of colorectal cancer”. I would add that following a healthy balanced diet (as described in many previous posts), especially one rich in vegetables, fruits and healthy fats and low in processed/refined foods, is vital to achieve good levels of health and protect against all kinds of illness and disease.
(1)WCRF/AICR. 2009. Policy and action for cancer prevention. Food, nutrition and physical activity: a global perspective. Washington DC: AICR, 2009.
(2)WCRF/AICR. 2007. Food, nutrition, physical activity, and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective. Washington DC: AICR, 2007.
(3) Parkin DM et al. 2009. The potential for prevention of colorectal cancer in the UK. European Journal of Cancer Prevention. 18:179-190
(4) Huxley RR et al. 2009. The impact of dietary and lifestyle risk factors on risk of colorectal cancer: A quantitative overview of the epidemiological evidence. International Journal of Cancer. 125: 171-180
Written by Ani Kowal
Related posts:
