Reducing and Increasing Risk for Colon Cancer

October 17th, 2012 - Posted in Health - Tags: Colon Cancer

This week two separate studies show that exercise prevents, and meat increases, risk for colon cancer. The colon is a 5-foot long, U-shaped tube at the end of your intestinal tract. Intense vigorous exercise prevented colon cancer only in the last part of the colon, not in the other parts (Cancer Causes and Control, 10/08/2011). Exercise did not prevent cancer in the first parts of the colon. Moderate intensity activity did not reduce risk for colon cancer. Vigorous physical activity is required to reduce colon and rectal cancer risk.

PROBABLE MECHANISM: Exercise causes giant contractions of the colon which push stool toward the opening. The more intense the exercise, the greater the force of the contractions. So intense exercise prevents carcinogens in stool from remaining for long periods in the last part of the colon, the descending colon.

WHY RED MEAT CAN CAUSE COLON CANCER: Eating red meat and processed meat, particularly meat cooked at high temperatures, markedly increases risk for colon polyps that become cancers. Polyps are small precancerous finger-like projections from the inner lining of the colon. The more meat a person eats, the greater the number of polyps. The higher the temperature that meat is cooked, the more fat is burnt and is converted to heterocyclic amines (HCA) that can cause polyps that become cancers (Cancer Prevention Research, 10/06/2011).

Drmirkin.com

Be Well.