Create healthy habits

In between recommended screenings, you can take steps to reduce your risk of colon cancer over time. No lifestyle change can fully prevent colon cancer, but healthy choices may help lower your risk and support overall health. And even if you get colon cancer, a foundation of good health can increase your chances of successful treatment and recovery.

The following steps, along with regular screening, may help lower your risk of colon cancer.

• Stay physically active. Regular physical activity is linked to a lower risk of colon cancer. Activity helps regulate body weight, insulin levels and inflammation, all of which are linked to cancer risk. Both exercise and everyday movement, such as walking, can help.
• Maintain a healthy weight. Having excess body weight is associated with a higher risk of colon cancer. Maintaining a healthy weight through balanced eating and regular physical activity may help lessen risk
• Don't smoke. Long-term cigarette smoking increases the risk of colon cancer and many other cancers. Quitting smoking can lower cancer risk over time and has many other health benefits.
• Limit alcohol. Moderate to heavy alcohol use is linked to a higher risk of colon cancer. Limiting alcohol or avoiding it altogether may help reduce risk.
• Eat a healthy diet. Eating patterns that emphasize fruits, vegetables and whole foods are generally associated with better health and fewer cancers. These foods are rich in fiber and antioxidants. Fiber can help move waste quickly out of the gut. It also promotes gut health and builds up levels of bacteria that help the body. Antioxidants protect cells from DNA damage.
• Get enough calcium. There's some evidence that getting enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet, primarily from dairy products, may lower your risk of colon cancer. Dietary calcium may play a role in the growth and lifespan of both healthy cells and precancerous cells. The same does not seem to be true for calcium and vitamin D supplements though. Research on individual nutrients and supplements is mixed.
• Limit red and processed meats. Diets high in red meat, especially charred red meat, or processed meats have been linked to a higher risk of colon cancer in some studies. Limiting these meats and choosing a variety of other protein sources may help lower risk.
• Talk with your healthcare team. Some studies suggest that certain medicines may lower colon cancer risk in certain people. Because the benefits and risks of these remedies vary, they are not recommended solely to prevent colon cancer. Talk with a healthcare professional first to see if any of these might be right for you.