Can Colorectal Cancer Be Prevented?

Colorectal cancer screening is one of the most powerful tools for preventing cancer or pre-cancer in people that have no symptoms of the disease. There’s no sure way to prevent it, however changing the risk factors you can control might help lower your risk.

Body weight, physical activity and diet - Controlling weight, exercising and eating lots of vegetables, fruits and whole grains, while avoiding red and processed meats may help to reduce risk. 

Not smoking - Quitting smoking may help lower risk for colorectal cancer and many other types of cancers too. 

Vitamins - Some studies suggest a daily multi-vitamin containing folic acid or folate, or Vitamin D may lower colon cancer risks. 

Alcohol - It is best not to drink alcohol, but if you do, the American Cancer Society recommends no more than 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. 

These diet, weight and exercise habits are strongly linked to colorectal cancer risk, but also lower the risk for many types of cancer, as well as other serious illnesses like heart disease and diabetes.