Smoking and Eating Meat Cause Bowel Cancer

[Guest guest]

Smoking, eating meat and lack of exercise all increase

your risk of developing bowel cancer, medical experts

say.

 

But eating lots of fruit and vegetables will

reduce your chance of getting the disease, which kills

more than 30,000 people in the UK every year, making

it the second biggest cancer killer after that of the

lung.

 

Speaking at a two-day symposium at the Royal

College of Physicians in central London, Dr John

Potter from the Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer

Research Center in America, told gathered medics from

37 countries that environmental factors have now been

found to contribute to the risk of contracting this

cancer.

 

His recent research looked at factors such as

alcohol intake, smoking and diet and their effect on

the development of colorectal cancer, which is usually

caused by chromosomal instability - gene mutation.

 

Dr Potter said: " People who eat meat seven times

a week show a two-fold increased risk of colorectal

meoplasia (a condition that can develop into cancerous

carcinomas), as compared to someone who eats meat just

once a week.

 

" And smoking is a major, major player here.

Current smokers are also at a two- fold increased

risk, while ex-smokers are 1.4 times as likely to

develop the condition. "

 

And talking of the effect physical activity has

on the disease, Dr Potter said: " People who are inert

and obese are at three and a half times the risk of

those who are lean and mean. "

 

While other research has indicated that heavy

beer consumption is another contributing factor, Dr

Potter's study did not stand this up.

 

But he did find that other preventative factors

to the onset of bowel cancer were drugs such as

aspirin (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), and

the use of hormone replacement therapy in post

menopausal women.

 

The conference was opened with a recorded

introduction from Prince Charles, who said: " Bowel

cancer is so common in this country, and it is the

Cinderella among the major cancer killers.

 

" Although eight times as many people die from

this disease as from cancer of the cervix, it remains,

incredibly, a condition of which most people remain

relatively ignorant.

 

" People wait on average six months between the

onset of symptoms and seeking advice. But this is an

eminently cureable condition if diagnosed in the early

stages. Further research can only improve the

understanding we have of it. "

 

Also at the meeting was former Watchdog presenter

Lynn Faulds-Wood, who was diagnosed with advanced

bowel cancer ten years ago at the age of 41.

 

She is now clear of the disease, but works full

time for BBC - Beating Bowel Cancer - helping to raise

public awareness of the symptoms of what she has shown

to be a beatable form of cancer.

 

She said: " My symptoms were mild rectal bleeding.

The first GP I saw said it was 'nothing to worry about

at my age - probably piles'. "

 

After a year of seeking more advice, Lynn was

diagnosed with the cancer and told she had a 34 per

cent chance of survival.

 

She said: " That was an increible shock. But I had

approximately ten inches of my bowel removed and after

five years was told that I was cured. I am lucky to be

alive. "

 

 

 

 

 

 

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