Healthy Living Can Help Prevent Colon Cancer, Scientists Say

It seems that the most foolproof way of fighting cancer is by living healthy lives, but it seems that this tactic proves true, even for men are genetically programmed to have colon cancer. Those who lead healthier lifestyles by having proper diets and exercise are at lesser risk for the disease.

Andrew Chan, an expert in colon health spoke with Health Day, saying that lifestyle factors are things that everyone should strive to achieve as much as they can because it will be beneficial to them. A new British study, co-authored by London-based researchers Matthew Frampton of the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust and Dr. Richard Houlston of The Institute of Cancer Research noted that certain people are genetically more prone to colon cancer, as there are 37 genetic mutations known to be tied together with the disease.

Medline Plus noted that people in the top 10 percent in terms of their genetic risks are twice as likely to get the disease compared to the rest of the population. Mathematical models already revealed that nearly a quarter of men between the ages 55 to 59 have raised odds of contracting the disease - a rate similar to men already aged 60 and above. The same analysis also noted that these men had a 29 percent risk of developing colon cancer in the next 29 years.

After, it was shown that nearly 1300 of the 50-something men with "bad genes" developed colon cancer. Yet, with healthy lifestyle factors included, the numbers decrease significantly, with the team estimating that 500 in 10,000 men could be spared from the disease over the next five years.

Still, others remain skeptical. Dr. David Carr-Locke, chief of the division of digestive diseases and associate chair of Medicine at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Medical Center in New York said that he isn't convinced by the material, nor the mathematical model that the team used for their investigation.