
Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in both men and women. And while research means survival is improving, the rates of people being diagnosed with the disease are also rising. A whole range of factors play into this, not least the fact that more people in the UK are living to an older age when cancer is more common. There isn’t much anyone can do about getting older, but we also know that more than half of bowel cancer cases are linked to lifestyle factors – which are much more within our control.
Making small changes to our day-to-day lives can make a big difference to the risk of developing bowel cancer. Read on to find out how, and share our graphic on social media to help spread the word this month.
1. Eat more fresh chicken, fish and meat-free meals
People who eat a diet low in processed and red meat are less likely to develop bowel cancer. Around one in five cases of bowel cancer in the UK are linked to eating too much processed and red meat. Although researchers aren’t sure exactly why this is, the main culprits appear to be certain chemicals in the meat itself.
While a bacon sandwich every now and then isn’t going to do much harm, if you’re eating a lot of processed and red meat then it’s a good idea to try to cut down. Try swapping it for fresh chicken and fish, bulking out meals with beans and vegetables to use smaller portions of meat, or choosing meat-free meals like vegetable lasagnes, curries and pasta bakes.
If you need ideas, Change4life has a great range of healthier recipes.
2. Keep a healthy weight
Keeping a healthy weight not only cuts your risk of bowel cancer, but could also reduce your risk of nine other types of cancer too. Researchers think this is because excess fat in our bodies can change our hormone levels and produce chemical messengers, which in turn can increase cancer risk.
But crash diets probably won’t help people lose weight in the long term. The best way to lose weight (and keep it off for good) is by making small changes to your daily life that you can stick to – like cutting down on sugary drinks, keeping an eye on food labels, and walking more.
Our website has more tips on how to keep a healthy weight, or visit Change4life.
3. Eat more fibre
Eating a diet high in fibre helps reduce the risk of bowel cancer in a number of ways. And one of the main ones seems to be by helping food pass through your body more quickly.
Fruit, vegetables, beans and lentils are all great sources of fibre, as well as whole grain varieties of bread, pasta and cereals. Meals don’t need to get fancy to get in more fibre. Think beans on wholemeal toast, brown pasta rather than white, and beans and peas in casseroles.
4. Drink less alcohol
We’re not saying you have to go tee-total, but it’s important to know the less you drink the lower your risk (it’s not just heavy drinking that’s linked to cancer).
So if you are going to drink alcohol, stick to the guidelines – that’s a maximum of 14 units of alcohol a week, spread evenly over at least three days. Drink free days are a good way to cut down on the total amount of alcohol you drink. Also try choosing smaller servings, drinks with lower ABVs – or cutting down on the alcohol in your drink by making it a shandy or wine spritzer.
Read this blog post to find out more about the guidelines and how many units are in different drinks. And visit our website for more tips on how to cut down on alcohol.
5. Be smokefree
Smoking doesn’t just cause lung cancer. It causes at least 13 other types of cancer (including bowel) as well as heart disease and various lung diseases. Chemicals in cigarette smoke enter the bloodstream and can affect the entire body – and it’s these that have been shown to damage our DNA and lead to cancer.
If you smoke and you want to quit, you’re much more likely to quit successfully if you get professional support rather than going it alone. There’s a whole range of free services to help keep you on track, including prescription medication and different types of support.
Speak to your GP or pharmacist, or visit NHS Smokefree for free advice and support.
6. Be active
Keeping active has a wide range of benefits for the body, including reducing the risk of bowel cancer. This is through helping food move through the bowel more quickly, as well as controlling inflammation.
It can be easier than you think to be more active, even if you don’t do much at the moment. Aim to do at least two and a half hours of moderate activity (e.g. brisk walking) a week – it may sound like a lot but you don’t need to do it all in one go – that’s just over 20 minutes each day. Build up how active you are over time. Try walking part of the way to work, and taking the stairs rather than the escalator or lift.
The more active you are, the greater the benefits you can gain – but remember it’s never too late to start.
And if you notice something unusual, talk to your doctor
Although it won’t strictly reduce your risk of developing bowel cancer, we couldn’t write this post without mentioning early diagnosis. Bowel cancer can develop at any age, but more than eight in 10 cases are diagnosed in people aged 60 and over, so this is especially important advice for older people.
When bowel cancer is diagnosed in the early stages, before it’s had time to get too big or spread, more than nine in 10 people will survive for at least five years. But when it’s found at a later stage, there may be fewer options to try to cure it, so the chances of survival are lower.
Get to know what’s normal for you, and tell your GP if you see blood in your poo, or about any change to your bowel habit – such as looser poo, pooing more often, and/or constipation – pain or a lump in your tummy, or losing weight without any reason. All of these are likely to be caused by something much less serious than bowel cancer, but it’s best to get them or any other unusual changes checked out by your GP.
Bowel cancer screening is for healthy people, without any signs or symptoms of the disease. If you’ve noticed something unusual, whatever your screening history, you should see your GP.
In England, Wales, and Northern Ireland, bowel screening tests are offered to people aged 60-74 every two years. In Scotland it’s offered from the age of 50. If you’re registered with a GP this test is sent automatically to your home in the post.
Unfortunately, the number of people taking up their bowel screening invitation is not as high as it could be. So we’re encouraging more people to consider taking part. We’re running campaigns in parts of the UK to see if using posters, letters, and kits to help people do the test more easily can make a difference by breaking down barriers to participation.
Small changes can make a big difference
Making changes doesn’t have to mean a massive overhaul of your lifestyle – if it’s something you do most days, even a small change can add up to a big difference.
And remember, if you do spot anything that’s unusual for you, it’s worth going to your GP to get it checked out. And if a bowel screening kit pops through your letter box, taking part is easier than you think.
Casey Dunlop is a health information officer at Cancer Research UK
Comments
Sara April 8, 2016
Great article. This
Jan Brookes April 8, 2016
Thank you. Very easy to understand and read.
Vivienne Clarke April 8, 2016
Very informative, giving good sound and sensible advice on prevention measures by taking simple steps.
Denis Woolmard April 8, 2016
Very easy to read and understand. Some of the suggestions are obvious like the damage smoking does. Thankyou for the information.
Jayne longden April 8, 2016
It’s great to be able to access this information so easily, Also it’s way to read and understand thank you .
Brian Flynn April 8, 2016
Very informative Exellent presentation easy to follow
Christine Parker April 8, 2016
Excellent article
Pam April 8, 2016
Very interesting and easy to read. It is always good to keep up to date with new findings.
Rosemary McGhie April 8, 2016
Excellent gives you the potential risk factors without being over alarmist
Colin Trott April 7, 2016
Keeping abreast of research and ways of combatting types of cancer is essential. Your articles fit the bill exactly with general life improvement suggestions and good information for discussion and decision taking.
linda offen April 7, 2016
The more info the better. Education is all.
Nigel Appleford April 7, 2016
I agree with Paul and A Hunt, the fish symbol is misleading. Does no one check for mistakes before publication?
Jane Thwaite April 7, 2016
Please continue the stick tests after 74 automatically.
Christine April 7, 2016
good article very informative and helpful
Gillian Wightwick April 7, 2016
Why stop screening at 74??? Seems like age discrimination to me (about to be 80).
Two friends who died of, bowel cancer could hardly have had a better diet:: home-made, wholemeal, veg and fruit oriented, etc etc. So please avoid giving the impression that this is yet another cancer or disease which is under our control via diet and lifestyle. It makes sufferers (aka victims) seem blameworthy, when maybe it’s in the stars, or somewhere.
Pierre Vantyghem April 7, 2016
Early diagnosis is vital so encouraging people to go to their doctors is a must to give a
good survival chance. Ignoring systems and being afraid to go to the doctors in case
you might be told you have cancer is something holding some people back .A TV advertising programme to show a lack of courage in going to the doctors would I am sure be benifical.
Kate April 7, 2016
Good advice. Checking your body should be the 7th way to prevent, or slow down the growth of any type of cancer.
Ian White April 7, 2016
My wife unfortunately contracted metastatic bowel cancer even though she had adhered to all six of your recommendations all her life!! It was also not detected by her routine NHS stool tests which she always did. By the time she developed symptoms because it had spread to her ovaries it was too late to eradicate it completely and so following a major operation she has had to endure repeated chemotherapy and other treatments for more than three years. This is not to suggest that the six recommendations are not very worthwhile but only that they will not nessarily prevent bowel cancer in everyone.
Claire Westwood April 7, 2016
As someone who has been found to have late stage bowel cancer at the age of 58, it is not helpful to read that chances of survival are lower. Having had no symptoms apart from a bit of heartburn and 3 admissions to A & E and finally being diagnosed with a partial obstruction it was discovered on a ct scan. So it doesn’t always follow that you have to have ‘changes’
Eileen Burns April 7, 2016
Very good article. Diverticulitus can also give the same symptons so it is important you check with your GP to put your mind at rest. Worry when you have something to worry about.
Rosemary Combe April 7, 2016
Why stop the bowel test at 74? After that we have to remember to ask for it. People can be active and generally fit after that age.
Helen April 7, 2016
It seems wrong to give people false hope by implying that if they obey every command on that list, they’re safe from bowel cancer: just ask my grandmother. Oh no, too late, you can’t, because that active, slightly underweight, non-smoking teetotaller who lived mostly on the produce of a large garden and an allotment died of bowel cancer!
Maureen Rees April 7, 2016
I donate to cancer research. My best friend aged 70 had an abnormal bowel screening (hidden blood). She is also anaemic; breathless and has to attend the loo regularly, with loose stools, throughout the day. Because she is so tiny a colonoscopy could not be performed and a cat scan revealed all clear. However no answer has been given for the anaemia; breathlessness; indigestion; hidden blood and change in bowel habit. Clearly she is relieved but also concerned that no definite answers have be given. How reliable is a CAT scan please ?
Vicky Osborne April 7, 2016
My Mum did all of the things you’re supposed to do, including taking a bowel screening test which came back negative. She was diagnosed early with bowl cancer, had an operation to remove the tumour and then had chemo for 6 months to make sure all the cancerours cells had gone. The chemo didn’t stop the cancer from spreading to her liver and in June last year she was given 18 months to live. She died before Christmas, not even making it to 6 months. She was 68 and had been incredibly fit and healthy all her life. Sometimes you can do everything right and still be so unlucky. I say do what you enjoy, regardless of whether it’s ‘good for you’ or not. Just enjoy the life you have.
Anna Tingle April 8, 2016
This is very helpful and clear advice