- Colon cancer cases are rising in younger people.
- Certain lifestyle factors can help reduce the risk of developing the disease.
- GI oncologist Dr. Michael Shusterman does these three easy things that fit into his busy schedule.
Colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in US men under 50 and the second deadliest cancer for women of the same age.
Rates of the disease have been rising in younger people since the '90s, according to the American Cancer Society, and the total medical cost of colorectal cancer care in the US was $24.3 billion in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While experts still don't know exactly what's behind the uptick in cases, and certain factors such as genetics are out of our control, there are some lifestyle choices that could lower the risk of developing colon cancer, Dr. Michael Shusterman, a gastrointestinal medical oncologist at NYU Langone's Perlmutter Cancer Center in Long Island, told Business Insider.
Being obese, having type two diabetes, and smoking are all associated with a greater colon cancer risk. However, "they don't directly necessarily lead to colon cancer," he said.
But, Shusterman typically recommends that patients quit smoking, cut down on alcohol, do some moderate-intensity exercise, and eat more fiber and less red meat, as well as avoid ultra-processed foods as much as possible.
He also recognizes that making big lifestyle changes can be hard, and struggles with this himself. For this reason, he focuses on small things he can easily fit around his schedule. "It's difficult to do when you're a busy professional, and if that's the case, it's important to find time, but that's a struggle for me," he said.
Shusterman shared three simple changes he has made to help prevent colon cancer.
Eating less red meat
There is a strong association between a diet high in red meat products such as beef, liver, pork, and deli meats and colon cancer, Shusterman said.
Cooking meats at high temperatures or in direct contact with a flame or hot surface, like in barbecuing, also appears to increase risk because it produces more carcinogenic chemicals, according to the World Health Organization.
Although he loves the taste of burgers and liver, around four years ago, Shusterman decided to cut back for his health. Now he very rarely buys red meat and only eats it on special occasions.
"It's a lot harder to go out and work out four times a week than it is to cut back on your red meat consumption in a lot of ways," he said. Try to make it a treat rather than a dietary staple and replace it with something else, such as chicken or fish, he said.
Eating more tree nuts
There is some evidence to suggest that eating tree nuts, such as cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts, and hazelnuts, might reduce the risk of developing colon cancer.
A large study found that people with stage three colon cancer who ate at least two, one-ounce servings of tree nuts a week were less likely to get cancer again or die early than those who didn't. However, a study review that compared research on the topic found contradictory results.
Even though the data is mixed, some positive association was enough for Shusterman to add more tree nuts to his diet. "It's not harmful as long as there's no contraindication to it, essentially," he said.
It's also important to note that this is just a link, which could be explained by a number of other factors, such as generally healthy habits among people who eat nuts, Shusterman said.
Vitamin D
In a similar vein, Shusterman takes vitamin D supplements daily in the hope of reducing his risk. His regular dose is 1,000 to 2,000 International Units.
There's some evidence that people with healthy vitamin D levels have a lower chance of getting colon cancer, he said, but it's also subject to bias. Some studies have found a link between vitamin D and colon cancer, while others have not.
However, for Shusterman, it's still worth it. "It's not going to hurt you to have a normal vitamin D level and have sunlight. So that's not a bad thing. If anything, sunlight makes people happy," he said.