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March 31 marks the World Colon Cancer Awareness Day, a day dedicated to publicizing the symptoms, how to prevent the disease and the detection studies that can be carried out.
In Argentina, colorectal cancer or colon cancer is the second most common type of cancer (12.1% of cases), after breast cancer (16.8%). Colon cancer is among the three cancers with the highest incidence in the world and ranks second as a cause of death.
María Cecilia López, president of the Unified Biochemical Confederation of the Argentine Republic (Cubra), maintains that “with prevention and early diagnosis, mortality could be much lower: 9 out of 10 cases could be cured if detected early.
He explains: “It usually starts with polyps in the wall of the intestine that can be removed before they turn into cancer. But there are usually no symptoms until the cancer is advanced. That is why In Argentina, it is recommended that men and women between 50 and 75 years of age undergo a fecal occult blood test.
The specialist acknowledges that women are tested more assiduously. “Women are more friendly with preventive treatments, and there is more registration: both breast and colon cancer for this reason.”
The figures show that they are currently almost even. “The gap between men and women no longer exists.” he says, debunking the myth that colon cancer is a male-only disease.
The doctor Paola Caro, medical director of Vittal, agrees with these parity figures: “Colon cancer affects men and women in the same proportion.” She adds a fact: “However, a family history of colon cancer significantly increases the probability of suffering from it.”
The stress, the type of work that is done, the lifestyle between men and women is equal and, this pathology, too. “Colon cancer is very crossed by the stress, alcohol consumption, tobacco, the high rate of obesity; These are factors that impact on this pathology. Before, they were more typical of men and today it crosses both genders and that is why the percentages of colon cancer are equal”.
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To “not wake up the cancer” it is recommended maintain healthy habits such as avoiding a sedentary lifestyle and being overweight due to increased body fat, reducing the consumption of alcoholic beverages, not smoking, carrying out a diet rich in fibers, incorporating fruits and vegetables.
This is stated by the graduate in Nutrition Jorgelina Latorraga, from the ASE Wellness medical team. Particularly, in the colon cancer, recommends drastically reducing the consumption of cold meats and sausages so that carcinogenic nitrosamines are not generated.
“The nitrites are found in processed meats (sausages, mincemeats, sausages and cold meats, fats from smoked or grilled red meats) and generate these carcinogenic nitrosamines in our body, even more so when we have the habit of smoking”, he points out.
“They can also be generated by the ingestion of nitrates found in water and in some vegetables such as chard, spinach, etc. (vegetables with a high percentage of water), but in this case, the consumption of natural antioxidants from vegetables, plus citrus (vit C, vit E and flavonoids), would generate a protective effect or counteract the formation of nitrosamines, therefore that it is better to consume vegetables”, he adds.
In addition, it recommends Reduce the consumption of red meatespecially the roasts. This is because, when any type of organic matter is burned, mainly the fat that drains from meat in general (chicken, fish, meat), the smoke The resulting product coats the meat with potentially carcinogenic compounds, called PAHs (Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons).
These hydrocarbons can also be reduced if we buy leaner cuts or remove visible fat, place a protective barrier such as a marinade with oils, lemon, aromatic herbs, a little sugar, if we consume small cuts, so that cooking is fast and reduces the exposure time, if we avoid the most burned parts or if we simply reduce the portion and frequency of this type of preparation.
“In conclusion, keeping body fat low, having good eating habits and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle are the key to delay the onset of any type of disease and also to accompany any type of treatment”, emphasizes.
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