There are some things we just don’t think about too often nor do they come up in everyday conversation. You probably discuss your latest diet with your friends or that nasty cold that lasted three weeks but it’s very rare that the conversation at lunch turns to the health of your colon.

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness month and experts at the M D Anderson Cancer Center want you to think about colon health. Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in men and women.

Reducing your risk of developing colorectal cancer means maintaining a healthy weight and a healthy diet as well as getting screening exams at recommended ages.

Lifestyle recommendations from M D Anderson:

* Eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables per day.
* Limit fat intake to no more than 30 percent of your total daily calories.
* Exercise regularly.
* Maintain an ideal weight.

In addition M D Anderson recommends the following screening exams for men and women 50 and over:

* Colonoscopy - Every 10 years (preferred by M. D. Anderson).
* Fecal occult blood test (FOBT) - Every year a take-home multiple sample FOBT or fecal immunochemical test (FIT, which also is a take-home test) should be taken.
* Flexible sigmoidoscopy - Every five years.
* Annual FOBT or FIT and flexible sigmoidoscopy - Every five years. Having both of these tests is recommended over either test alone.
* Double-contrast barium enema - Every five years.
* All positive tests (FOBT, FIT, flexible sigmoidoscopy, barium enema) should be followed up with colonoscopy.

Regular screenings can detect and remove colorectal polyps before they have a chance to progress to cancer.

M D Anderson Cancer Center