5 factors that increase your risk of detected colorectal cancer

This is a sad news.

American Cancer Society (ACS) recently predicted that there will be about 155,000 new cases of colorectal cancer and 52,900 deaths this year. One of the most common cancers in the world, the disease occurs when cells in the inner lining of the colon or rectum increase abnormally.

The risk of life from colorectal cancer is about 1 in 24 for men and 1 in 26 for women, according to ACS. Adults at moderate risk are encouraged to begin examination at 45 while those at higher risk may need to begin examination earlier and undergo testing more often.

Dr. Cedrek McFadden, a South Carolina -based colorectal surgeon and a medical advisor to the colorectal cancer alliance, shared five factors that can increase your risk of colorectal cancer.

Family history

“If a relative has had colorectal cancer, you are at a higher risk. Make sure your doctor knows about it, ”McFadden said.

Having a relative of the first degree-a parent, sister or child-colorectal cancer can double your risk of developing the disease.

Some gene mutations inherited through households can significantly increase the risk. Lynch syndrome, for one, is responsible for 3% to 5% of colon cancer. Inherited genetic disorder affects 1 in 300 Americans.

Age

“While colorectal cancer can occur at any age, the risk increases significantly after 50 (although we are seeing newer cases more often now),” McFadden noted.

The rate of colorectal cancer has fallen among Americans 65 and older, but there has been a worrying increase in diagnoses among younger adults.

Twenty percent of US colorectal cancer cases were in people 54 or the youngest in 2019, from 11% in 1995.

Diet

“Eating a lot of red or processed meat can increase your risk. Add more fruits, tools and full grains of fiber, ”McFadden advised.

Processed meat, such as Deli meat, sausages, hot dogs, bacon, pepper and bacon, are salty, healed, smoked or chemically stored to extend their shelf life.

International Agency of the World Health Organization for Research on Classified Classified Cancer Research as “Carcogen for People” in 2015, citing “sufficient evidence from epidemiological studies that eating processed meat causes colorectal cancer”.

Heme iron in red meat, along with nitrate and nitrite added to processed meat, can damage the cells that line the intestine, according to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas.

Fiber, meanwhile, nourishes useful bacteria in the intestine, slows down digestion and promotes regular intestinal movements.

Lifestyle

“Smoking, severe use of alcohol and a sedentary lifestyle can increase all your chances of developing colon cancer,” McFadden said.

Being overweight or obese also increases the risk of colorectal cancer because excess body fat causes chronic inflammation that can disrupt normal cell growth.

Chronic

“Inflammatory intestinal diseases like Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis put you at higher risk,” divided McFadden. Like overweight, these diseases cause constant inflammation in the intestines that can lead to cellular changes that can become cancerous.

People with type 2 diabetes have a higher risk of colorectal cancer, as well as because high insulin levels can promote the growth of cancerous cells.