As of: March 25, 2024, 8:49 a.m
By: Andreas Beez
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PD Dr.
Holger Seidl is a colon cancer specialist.
© Helena Heilig
Kate has cancer, which shows that cancer is affecting more and more young people.
A great danger lies in the genes, warns Munich's chief physician Dr.
Holger Seidl.
To protect yourself, precaution and the right everyday strategy are crucial.
Brave woman: Princess Kate spoke about her cancer diagnosis in a video message.
© Uncredited/AP/dpa
In Germany alone, around half a million people receive the shock diagnosis of cancer every year.
The disease mostly affects older people, but younger people are not immune to it either, as the case of Princess Kate shows - on the contrary: the number of younger patients is increasing.
This also applies to colon cancer, one of the most common tumor diseases.
Hereditary predisposition plays a key role, as gastroenterologist Dr.
Holger Seidl, chief physician at Munich's Isar Clinic, reports.
20 studies show: Hereditary predisposition is by far the biggest risk factor
If first-degree relatives - i.e. parents or siblings - have already had colorectal cancer, the personal risk is increased by more than four times.
This was the result of a meta-analysis.
In this meaningful data analysis, scientists included the results of 20 studies.
“Hereditary predisposition has emerged as by far the most important risk factor in younger patients,” says Seidl.
One in ten cases of colon cancer occurs in a patient under the age of 50
Around ten percent of all colon cancer cases are diagnosed before the age of 50 - in many cases the disease is already well advanced due to a lack of regular early detection examinations.
The German Society for Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS) also points this out.
For people with a known history of colon cancer in their families, regular preventive examinations from the age of 30 would be life-saving in many cases and cost-effective for society as a whole.
This is shown by the results of the FARKOR study published last year, in which people with a family history of colon cancer were invited to a colon cancer screening.
Munich's chief doctors are calling for an expansion of colon cancer screening for younger people
Also Dr.
Seidl and his chief physician colleague Professor Franz G. Bader are strongly promoting an expansion of colon cancer prevention.
The background: During a colonoscopy, suspicious precancerous lesions can be detected early and removed before they can develop into a tumor.
That's why men aged 50 and over and women aged 55 and over are invited in writing by the health insurance companies to have a so-called colonoscopy, as the colonoscopy is called in technical language.
But despite the high success rate, only around 20 percent have accepted the offer so far.
Even if the cancer has already broken out, a colonoscopy can be life-saving because the earlier it is detected, the better the chances of recovery, as Munich specialists repeatedly emphasize.
Lifestyle helps reduce the risk of cancer
No one is immune from serious illnesses, but we have a certain amount of power in our own hands to live as healthily as possible.
Private lecturer Dr.
Holger Seidl.
Here, the experienced gastroenterologist and chief physician at Munich's Isar Clinic gives everyday tips for nutrition and exercise.
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Lack of fluids is often underestimated.
It should be two to three liters per day - sometimes more if you sweat a lot.
If you don't drink enough, you risk having hard stools and rarely having bowel movements.
Tip: If you drink half a liter of lukewarm water on an empty stomach in the morning “on the go”, i.e. quickly, you activate the gastrointestinal reflex and can go to the toilet more easily.
Fiber is important in your diet.
They are found in whole grain products, fruits and vegetables, make the stool fuller and softer, and accelerate transport through the intestines.
This means that toxins stay in the intestines for a shorter time - which measurably reduces the risk of cancer.
If you don't like eating greens, you can mix vegetable fiber into your food or drinks once or twice a day, for example a teaspoon of psyllium husk.
Vegetables are rich in fiber.
© Panthermedia
In recent decades, medicine has uncovered many possible pollutants that arise from industrial processing of food.
Preservatives, for example, are considered critical in order to make the products last longer.
Hazardous substances such as acrylamide are also created when heated, and microplastics can get into the food through packaging.
Industrial processing can cause inflammatory processes in the body and the risk of cancer increases.
We live in a culture of “quick eaters”.
It would be optimal to chew each bite 20 times.
Count consciously.
The greater stimulus in the mouth activates messenger substances that lead to an earlier feeling of satiety - such as the GLP-1 agonists, which are currently also in fashion as ingredients in so-called weight loss injections.
The stomach needs three to ten hours to break down the food to the size of a grain of rice and pass it on to the small intestine.
Good chewing shortens this time.
Less “pressure” in the stomach also means less heartburn and less feeling of fullness.
Do you suffer from bloating?
These also decrease if the food is well chopped and prepared for the intestines enriched with salivary enzymes.
Red meat (beef, pork), sausage, dairy products, alcohol and sugar are found on many people's diets every day.
But according to the WHO, these foods in larger quantities increase the risk of colon cancer and other tumors.
Eat less than 500 grams of red meat per week.
The amount of milk or milk products should not exceed around 1.25 liters daily.
For alcoholic drinks, only one drink per day for women and a maximum of two drinks for men.
A “standard drink” is 0.1 liters of wine or 0.3 liters of beer.
Moldy food belongs in the trash, and it doesn't make sense to generously cut out bread or fruit, for example.
Mold invisibly permeates the environment.
Do not fry or toast too hot or too dark; charred areas contain carcinogenic substances.
When grilling, it is best to work with grill bowls.
Cured meat products should not be grilled at all.
Make sure you are not overweight and exercise regularly.
According to the WHO, obesity is the third largest factor for a total of 13 types of cancer, including colon cancer.