Healthy lifestyles, regular screenings would cut U.S. colon cancer morbidity in half

"The number one risk factor for colon cancer is lack of physical activity," says Graham Colditz, director of education for the Harvard Center of Cancer Prevention. "By itself, high levels of physical activity might decrease risk of colon cancer by as much as 50 percent." Colon cancer is responsible for about 48,000 deaths in the United States each year, making it the second leading cause of cancer death in the country. However, "what we found is that this killer is remarkably preventable through fairly easy changes in diet and physical activity, and through regular screening," Colditz said. Several dietary habits that influence people's risk for colon cancer include eating red meat (increases risk), use of multivitamins containing folic acid (reduces risk), and high intake of vegetables (evidence is weak, but a protective effect seems likely).