Too Much of Bacon, Hot Dogs and Alcohol May Up Risk of Colon Cancer

Processed food consumption has long been linked to triggering a host of health ailments starting from obesity, diabetes to even cancer. A recently conducted study notes that eating hotdogs, bacon and other processed meat regularly or drinking more than two alcoholic drinks daily may increase the risk of colorectal cancer. Consuming more than 500gms of red meat in a week has been linked to triggering obesity and increasing the risk of developing colorectal cancer.

"Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers, yet this report demonstrates there is a lot people can do to dramatically lower their risk," said Edward L Giovannucci, professor at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health "The findings from this comprehensive report are robust and clear: Diet and lifestyle have a major role in colorectal cancer," said Giovannucci.

The study looked at the role of regular exercising and healthy lifestyle maintenance as tools in preventing lifestyle diseases like cancer. People who are more physically active have a lower risk of colon cancer compared to those who do very little physical activity. Here, the decreased risk was apparent for colon and not rectal cancer.

Some of the previously conducted studies noted that fibre consumption may play a pivotal role in decreasing the risk of colorectal cancer.

A recently published study conducted by the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) linked whole grain consumption with reduced risk of colorectal cancer. The report concluded that eating approximately three servings (90 grams) of whole grains daily reduces the risk of colorectal cancer by 17 per cent.

"Many of the ways to help prevent colorectal cancer are important for overall health. Factors such as maintaining a lean body weight, proper exercise, limiting red and processed meat and eating more whole grains and fibre would lower risk substantially," said Giovannucci.

Shunning refined grains and switching to whole grains may play an important role in protecting against cancer. While nothing can guarantee cancer protection, maintaining a healthy lifestyle and eating a balanced diet can certainly lower the risk of developing it. Fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, berries are all packed with cancer protective compounds that will also help you manage your weight, experts noted.

Inputs from PTI