The opening line of this paper which was published in Cancer Causes and Control 10: 167-180, 1999 is "Colon cancer is a preventable disease." All the following are direct quotes from the article. "A disproportionate amount of the colon cancer burden falls within the black population, where both incidence and mortality rates are higher than among whites. Survival rates depend largely on stage at diagnosis. Nearly 94% of patients diagnosed with localized colon cancer survive beyond five years. Lack of physical activity is the risk factor most consistently shown to be associated with an increased risk of colon cancer. Maintaining high levels of physical activity throughout life appears to impart the greatest protection. There is considerable evidence that high intake of red meat increases risk of colon cancer among both men and women. ...high consumption of red meat may increase concentrations of fecal iron which could influence risk of colon cancer via the generation of hydroxyl radicals. ...recent evidence suggests that use of multivitamins containing folic acid may be more beneficial in reducing colon cancer risk than dietary intake of folate. In the Nurses' Health Study, women who used multivitamins for at least 15 years were 75% less likely to develop colon cancer than women who never took multivitamins. High intake of vegetables may offer moderate protection against colon cancer. Alcohol and tobacco use may increase risk of colon cancer. Alcohol is related to increased risk of colorectal adenomas (non-malignant or pre-malignant). If Americans were to modify the behavioral factors discussed above at an early enough age to reverse risk, more than 50% of colon cancers could be prevented in the long term. Health care providers should counsel all patients on diet and physical activity. They shuld provide adequate information about colon cance, emphasize the importance of early detection, and alleviate patients' fears and concerns about being screened. Ann's NOTE: Check out the link for AICR on this issue, www.aicr.org. EAT ORGANIC WHOLE FOODS and take a multivitamin. (Usually needs to be at least 3 pills per day to have enough valuable ingredients-one a day is NOT ENOUGH). Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.