Colorectal Cancer

Term Paper # 113684

Medical and Health

Colorectal Cancer

A look at dietary influences on colorectal cancer.

1,637 words () | 28 sources | APA | 2009 Canada

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer related deaths in the US and Canada and how it is vital to alert ourselves to this problem, so that we can help all those effected and prevent future generations from suffering and dying from the disease. In particular, the paper contends that the key to avoiding this cancer may be the person's lifestyle, and their nutritional intake. It looks at how the main nutrients that seem to be getting the headlines in relation to colon cancer are red meat, fibre, and folic acid, and as such, this paper focuses mainly on these headlines.

Outline:
Exercise
Healthy Diet
Red Meat
Fibre
Folate
Calcium, Vitamin D & Antioxidants
Lifestyle
Education & Screening
Looking to the Future

From the Paper:

"Another important nutrient, or more accurately vitamin, is folate [22,23]. Folate, and its synthetic form, folic acid, play critical roles in the synthesis of DNA and RNA, in addition to aiding many areas of our metabolism [22,23]. Since cancer is almost always caused by some sort of damage to the cells genetic material, it is easy to understand that reduced intakes of folate can increase the risk of colorectal cancers, and experimental research seems to demonstrate it as well [22-24]. Conversely, increased intakes of folate are associated with reducing the risk of colorectal cancer by 50-60%, especially in people who consumed above the recommended intakes of alcohol [23,24]. There is still the matter of further human medical investigations to be done, as currently much of the positive folate outcomes detailed, are from researches done with animals [23]."

Sample of Sources Used:

Fast Facts on Colorectal Cancer. 2009. Colon Cancer Canada. http://www.coloncancercanada.ca
What is Colorectal Cancer? 2009. Colorectal Cancer Association of Canada. http://www.colorectal-cancer.ca
American Cancer Society. 2005. Colorectal cancer facts and figures.
Giovannucci E, Willett WC. 1994. Dietary factors and risk of colon cancer. Ann Med. 26(6):443-52.
Walter C. Willett. 2000. Diet and Cancer. The Oncologist, 5:393-404.