10 Risk Factors of Colon Cancer

Colon Cancer is the most common digestive tract cancer in patients. In fact, Colon Cancer is the Third most common cancer in India. Men and women both are at an equal Risk of Colon Cancer. Initially, there was a belief that colon cancer is Western cancer, i.e. it’s more widespread in Western Countries.

But recently, the cases in India have spiked up significantly. And occurrence in younger individuals is another major cause of concern. So it’s important to understand the risk factors of colon cancer to take steps for its prevention.

In this blog, we will take a look at some primary risk factors that can increase your chances of colon cancer significantly. Let’s understand these risk factors one by one.

What are the Risk factors of Colon Cancer?

Smoking: Smoking can increase the risk of multiple types of cancers, including Colon Cancer. In fact, there are 10 to 15 types of cancers, including lung, throat and lip cancer, whose risk increases with smoking. Those who start smoking at an early age or are chain smokers are at higher risk of colon cancer.

Drinking alcohol: Alcohol is a dangerous substance that can cause multiple types of cancers. The most common cancers due to alcohol are Liver Cancer and Colon Cancer. If you stop drinking alcohol, it can reduce your risk of cancer by up to 30%.

Western diet: A Western diet has an excessive amount of processed food like processed meat or red meat. Junk food also falls in the category of the Western diet. It’s been observed that the Western diet plays a major role in the spread of colon cancer.

Diabetes: Diabetic individuals are at higher risk of colon cancer. If you can control your diabetes, you can significantly reduce your risk of colon cancer.

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Being overweight: If you are overweight or obese, you are at a higher risk of colon cancer. So it’s advisable to adopt a healthy lifestyle and improve your BMI to reduce the risk of colon cancer.

Less physical activity: If your life is sedentary, it too can increase your risk of colon cancer. Due to work from home culture and ideal work, a lot of people avoid physical activities. But this can be very dangerous and might act as an invitation to colon cancer.

Family history: If you have a family history of colon cancer, i.e. either one of your parents or your siblings have ever been diagnosed with colon cancer, you too might be at a higher risk.

Polyps in the colon: If polyps have been identified in your colon, you might be at a higher risk of colon cancer. Polyps are the growth of colon tissues that are often found in colon cancer. For e.g., if you have adenomatous polyps, there is a small chance that it might develop into cancer in the future.

Certain diseases: Inflammatory bowel diseases can also increase the risk of colon cancer. For e.g., if you have inflammation in the colon for a longer period (Ulcerative Colitis or Crohn’s disease) and they have not been treated properly, it can result in colon cancer.

Increasing age: Increasing age too plays a major role in the occurrence of colon cancer. We have observed that colon cancer’s risk is significantly higher after age 50. And as the age increases, the risk increases. But in India, even younger individuals are getting colon cancer, so it’s important to stay aware of the symptoms of colon cancer.

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