Flourish Health & Wellbeing eMag - Latest Edition - Flipbook - Page 12
How is Bowel
Cancer Diagnosed?
Early detec琀椀on literally
saves lives, which is why
Australia has a free bowel
cancer screening program
for people aged 45-74.
• People aged 45 to
49 can request their
昀椀rst bowel cancer
screening kit by
submi琀�ng a webform
or calling
1800 627 701.
• People aged 50 to 74
receive a bowel cancer
screening kit in the post
every 2 years.
The bowel cancer screening
test looks for very small
amounts of blood in your
poo that is non-visible to
the naked eye in people
who do not have any
obvious symptoms of
bowel cancer. The presence
of blood may be due to
condi琀椀ons other than bowel
cancer, such as medica琀椀ons,
polyps, haemorrhoids,
or in昀氀amma琀椀on of the
bowel, but the underlying
cause of the bleeding
needs to be inves琀椀gated
by colonoscopy.
How to Reduce Your Risk of Bowel Cancer
You can recue your bowel cancer
risk but making some simple diet
and lifestyle changes.
Eat More Fibre
Fibre helps keep things
moving and lowers the risk of
bowel cancer. Good sources of
昀椀bre include:
• Whole grains like brown rice,
oats, and wholemeal bread
• Legumes such as chickpeas,
len琀椀ls, and beans
• Fruits and vegetables – aim
for at least 昀椀ve serves a day
Cut Back on Red and
Processed Meats
Too much red meat, especially
processed meats like bacon,
ham, and sausages, has been
linked to a higher risk of bowel
cancer. If you eat red meat,
limit the amount to no more
than about three por琀椀ons
per week. Three por琀椀ons is
equivalent to about 350-500
grams cooked weight.
Stay Active
Regular exercise helps
with diges琀椀on, maintains a
healthy weight, and reduces
in昀氀amma琀椀on as well as lowers
your risk of bowel cancer. Aim
to be physically ac琀椀ve every
day in any way for 30 minutes
or more.
Limit Alcohol
Alcohol is linked to an
increased risk of bowel cancer,
so cu琀�ng back helps. The
na琀椀onal guidelines recommend
no more than 10 standard
drinks per week, with at least
two alcohol-free days.
Quit Smoking
Smoking doesn’t just harm
your lungs—it also increases
the risk of bowel cancer. Quit
smoking and avoid exposure
to tobacco smoke.
Get Screened Regularly
Par琀椀cipate in screening
appropriate to your personal
level of risk as almost 99%
of bowel cancer cases can
be successfully treated when
detected early.
For more information,
During the procedure, any
polyps can be iden琀椀昀椀ed
and removed or a diagnosis
of bowel cancer con昀椀rmed.
The key message?
Bowel cancer
screening could
save your life.
visit Bowel Cancer
Australia at
bowelcanceraustralia.org
