Diet and Health: Foods that Might Prevent Colon Cancer

Dienner, who had a family and a blossoming career in filmmaking, was barely in his 30s. The film, The Day I Became Alive, tracks his experience fighting the shocking diagnosis. Anyone battling cancer and chronic disease will find his journey inspiring and uplifting.

Dienner was 31, which was young for someone to undergo a colonoscopy. Most people don't have one until their late 40s or early 50s.

He had only scheduled his procedure because he'd been suffering from unusual symptoms. According to Dr. Heather Yeo, medical advisor to SurvivorNet, “You should be screened for colon cancer, even if you have no family history. Once you have your initial screening colonoscopy, if there are no polyps and you have no high risk factors, usually once every 10 years is fine.”

Dienner’s colonoscopy detected a tumor in his sigmoid colon, and suddenly, the busy father and film creator was plunged into a new routine — one that involved chemotherapy and surgery.

"I never thought I'd be dealing with this at this time in my life," he says in The Day I Became Alive. "I never expected this thing in my life that just completely changed everything."

He also contemplated that the life he thought he would have enjoying being a husband and father and a successful filmmaker might not actually happen.

Derek's doctors identified the tumor as Stage 3. If there was good news, here it was the cancer had not spread beyond the colon.

Thankfully, the tumor was operable. Dienner underwent surgery, in which doctors removed the cancer and cut out a portion of his colon.

The Facts about Colon Cancer

Colon cancer is also referred to as colorectal cancer, or rectal cancer. It may also be called bowel cancer, depending on where doctors find the tumor. It is a very common cancer that starts when tumors or polyps grow in the lining of the colon or in the rectum.

While polyps are not an unusual finding in colonoscopies, and while they are often benign, it is also true that polyps can develop into cancer cells overtime. According to SurvivorNet, “If you don't have these polyps removed, they can sometimes change into cancer. …It takes up to 10 years for a colon polyp to become a full-blown cancer.” The disease becomes life-threatening when the cancer remains unchecked and spreads throughout the intestinal tract.

Preventing Colon Cancer

One of the most difficult things about colon cancer is that a person who suffers from it may actually feel few to no symptoms. That is because the signs of early colon cancer are easy to miss. They include feeling tired or experiencing occasional abdominal discomfort, which people often attribute to some other cause.

Dr. Paul Oberstein tells SurvivorNet that one of the earliest signs of colon cancer is a change in bowel habits. “Someone may have constipation or diarrhea or problems going to the bathroom,” explains Oberstein, a medical oncologist at the NYU Perlmutter Cancer Center.

At the same time, colon cancer is quite preventable. Colonoscopies are extremely successful at detecting the disease in its early stages. Dr. Yeo tells SurvivorNet, “If we screen patients early, cancers can be prevented. We can have really good survival outcomes.”

Patients can usually be sedated during the procedure, which examines and visualizes the entire colon. Doctors can see and take pictures of any unusual findings, including polyps. The good news is that most polyps can actually be removed during a colonoscopy this fact make the procedure one that diagnoses and treats at the same time.

Your Diet Matters

In addition to scheduling regular colonoscopies, people should also pay attention to what the put into their bodies. Your diet matters, according to at least one study that found “convincing evidence for an association between lower CRC risk and higher intakes of dietary fiber, dietary calcium, and yogurt and lower intakes of alcohol and red meat."

Here are foods to include in your diet to prevent colon cancer:

1. Fruits, which are rich in antioxidants
2. Vegetables, especially green veggies, which are full of fiber and minerals
3. Whole grains, which provide fiber that, in turn, fights bacteria in your colon
4. Nuts, as they contain healthy fatty acids that are necessary for a healthy colon
5. Beans, which offer an essential blend of fiber, protein, and vitamins

What foods should be avoided? There’s at least one. Plenty of evidence suggests that red meat is a culprit when it comes to the development of colon cancer.

According to one study, published in JAMA, “High intake of red and processed meat […] was associated with higher risk of colon cancer." The risk was high even after the doctors adjusted for factors such as age.

Choosing Health

Derek Dienner says the day he was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer was "the day I became alive." Since completing his treatment, which took seven months, he has opted for a positive, purposeful outlook on life, making healthy choices regarding his physical and emotional health.

"Life is not going to get easier or simpler," he concludes, "but how you handle it is going to get easier and simpler."

Stream The Day I Became Alive, and other inspiring stories, on SurvivorNetTV.

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