Is Colon Cancer Avoidable?

Did you know that March is Colon Cancer Awareness Month? But what causes cancer? Let us break down some of the research for you.

Below is a transcript you can use to follow the video with links to more information on the topic.

Hey there! It’s March 2017 and that means it’s Colon Cancer Awareness Month. So what better time than right now to talk about how to lower your risk factor?

Colon cancer is now the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States and third worldwide, but it isn’t exactly a worldwide phenomenon.

Now, personally, if I were trying to avoid getting colon cancer, I would try my best to be Middle Eastern or African.

But not African American, because like all Americans, they are 50 times more likely to be diagnosed with colon cancer.

Okay so clearly genetics isn’t the biggest factor here so we have to take lifestyle into consideration. What are they doing so much differently?

Well...according to the research, not much. Modern Africans overall are just as inactive and fiber deficient. They eat a diet high in refined grains but very little animal products. Now whether it's from the saturated fat, the cholesterol, or the excess protein, it can only take so much of the blame because more than anything it's about balance.

So just in case you aren’t limiting these foods like they do here, you probably should be maximizing these foods. Staying active and eating a high-fiber diet helps to keep our good gut bacteria blossoming year-round and is why Dr. Michael Greger believes more than 70% of all colon cancer cases are avoidable.

For more information on colon cancer, you can head over to his nonprofit website at nutritionfacts.org