There are several ways that you can help to reduce your risk of developing bowel cancer.

Diet

Cancer

Research suggests that a low fat, high fibre diet that includes plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables (at least five portions a day) and whole grains, can help to reduce your risk of getting bowel cancer and other types of cancer, plus heart disease.

If you eat meat, it is recommended that you should not eat a lot of processed meat and red meat that you eat. Limiting your intake to just one or two potions a week is recommended.

Exercise

There is a strong body of evidence to suggest that regular exercise can lower the risk of developing bowel cancer as well as other types of cancer.

A minimum of 30 minutes of vigorous exercise a day, at least five times a week, is recommended. The exercise should be strenuous enough to leave your heart beating faster, and you should feel slightly out of breath afterwards. Examples of vigorous exercise include going for a brisk walk and walking up a hill.

Healthy weight

You should try to maintain a healthy weight. Changes to your diet and an increase in your physical activities will help to keep your weight under control.

Smoking

If you smoke, giving up will reduce your risk of developing bowel cancer as well as many other types of cancer.

Your doctor, or pharmacist, will also be able to provide you with help, support, and advice if you want to give up smoking.

How screening for bowel cancer works 

Bowel cancer can be present a long time before any symptoms appear.  If bowel cancer is detected before symptoms appear, it is easier to treat and there is a better chance of surviving the disease.

Men and women aged 60-69 who are registered with a doctor will automatically be sent an invitation for screening, through the post, when it becomes available. If you’re aged 70 or over you can choose to participate by requesting a screening kit.

Screening consists of a home testing kit, called an FOBt kit (faecal occult blood test). The kit arrives through the post when screening is due. The kit is used to collect tiny stool (poo) samples on a special card. The card is then sealed in a special hygienic freepost envelope and sent to a laboratory where it will be checked for traces of blood, which may indicate a problem.

Results

Results are received in writing within two weeks of sending in the test kit. There are three types of result:

• Normal. This means no blood was found in the samples. Screening will be offered again in two years’ time.
• Unclear. This means there were possible traces of blood that could be caused by factors other than cancer, such as haemorrhoids (piles) or stomach ulcers. If you have an unclear result you will be asked to repeat the test kit up to twice more
• Abnormal. This means that blood was definitely found in the samples. Again, this could be from piles, or bowel polyps (small growths which are usually not cancerous). If you have an abnormal result you will be offered an appointment with a specialist nurse to discuss having an examination of the bowel, called a colonoscopy.

Colonoscopy

A colonoscopy is an investigation to look at the lining of the large bowel (the colon). A thin flexible tube with a tiny camera on the end is passed into the back passage (bottom), and guided around the bowel. Only around two in every 100 people completing the FOBt kit will have an abnormal result and will be offered a colonoscopy. Of those who have a colonoscopy, only about one in 10 will have cancer.

Related articles:

1. Bowel Cancer
2. Diagnosing bowel cancer 
3. Treat­ing bowel can­cer — part 1
4. Treat­ment for bowel can­cer — part 2
5. Recov­er­ing from bowel can­cer
6. Improve your knowledge of cancer
7. Causes of cancer
8. Treating cancer (1)
9. Treating Cancer (2)
10. Introduction part 4: Preventing cancer

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