If you’re aging, you already know it’s time to stick a colonoscopy on your list of things to do after the age of fifty! You want to make sure you don’t develop colon cancer, or polyps in your colon, or any of the frustrating problems which can happen to that part of your digestive system. But what can you do to keep everything running effectively and even worry less about colon cancer?

Fiber is your friend, and not just in bran muffins. Whether you’re trying to prevent colon cancer, hemorrhoids, or an intestinal prolapse, all those fruits and veggies help your body to make everything work more effectively because of the high fiber in them. All those leafy greens and skins of fruits like apples hold fiber that helps push food along your digestive system promptly and easily. Fiber is also found in the hulls of grains, so whole wheat bran, whole brown rice, and other whole grains are helpful.

While a lot of folks don’t really want a yearly physical, or, indeed, to consider that end of their digestion, it’s an important thing to do. After all, gastroenterology covers a variety of conditions that can impact the digestive system, including colon cancer. Find a doctor who helps you to feel comfortable and explains what procedures are necessary to help your body. Getting a yearly physical can decrease your risk of many things, not just colon issues!

You might not associate smoking and alcohol with decreased chances of colorectal cancers, but they affect all of the body’s systems. Both habits cause ongoing damage to cells, and often can increase the chances of cellular mutations in all functions of the body. These cell mutations, where they keep growing at faster rates than the body needs, is what causes all types of cancers. Your best bet is to quit smoking entirely, and to use alcohol in limited use for social activities only, and then sparingly. The fewer cells damaged, the better!

Your body needs certain things to keep your digestive system working as effectively as possible and prevent complications. These complications might include something “simple” like acid reflux, or something major like colorectal cancers. You can’t prevent every contingency, of course, but by decreasing smoking and alcohol, eating enough fiber, and getting a yearly physical, you have a much better chance of preventing or at least catching problems early!