6 Ways to Prevent Colorectal Cancer

The following is taken from the March, 2010 issue of Canadian Living Magazine.

Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada, but it is the number 1 cancer that you can prevent with a healthy diet.

1 Choose fibre-rich whole grains. A 2007 study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that dietary fibre from whole grains was associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer than fibre by itself. So add some brown rice, whole rye or quinoa to your meals a couple of nights a week.
2. Get your fruits and veggies. They have beta-carotene, vitamins, antioxidants,minerals and plenty of phtyocemicals - all of which have anticancer properties, says Leslie Beck, a registered dietitian in Toronto and author of Foods That Fight Disease (Penguin, 2008). The cabbage family (broccoli, cauliflower), in particular, helps your liver remove carcinogens.
3. Eat low-glycemic-index foods. Step away from the chocolate bar - simple sugars are not your friend, so enjoy a crispy apple instead. Eating too much sugar causes your insulin level to spike, and insulin can stimulate the growth of colon cancer cells.
4. Meet your daily requirement of folate. "It's essential for the production of DNA in cells," says Beck. "Without enough of it, the ability of colon cells to repair faulty DNA can become impaired, increasing the risk of cancer development.
5. Limit alcohol. It may stimulate cancer cell growth in the colon, says Beck.
6. Restrict your red meat intake. Try not to eat anymore than 18 ounces (525 grams) a week of beef, veal, pork and lamb. "When you cook meat to a high temperature, you form compounds called heterocyclic amines, and in lab studies these are carcinogenic," says Beck.