CancerProject.org recently put out an ad about the connection between colon cancer and processed meats. The ad (which you can watch below) depicts school kids announcing that they have colon cancer, interspersed with images of hot dogs, pizza, and sliced ham, which are all common hot lunch offerings. Studies show that adults who frequently eat processed meats have an increased risk of developing colon cancer.

Critics point out that the children in the ad don't actually have cancer, something some may find misleading. They also say that studies have been done on adults, not children, and that an occasional hot dog hasn't been implicated in an increased risk of the disease.

But here's my argument. Kids who eat hot lunch every day AREN'T getting an occasional serving of processed meat. They're eating them every day. The menu at our school reads like this: hot dog, pizza, meat gravy, chicken nuggets, sliced ham... all with french fries or mashed potatoes. Every week. Though there might not be a direct link between these kinds of meals and colon cancer, this is obviously poor nutrition, and we're serving it to millions of school kids every day.

I'm not sure how I feel about this ad, but I do think our hot lunch programs need a serious overhaul. What do you think?

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Do you know what the second leading cause of cancer is in the U.S.? Colon cancer. Despite this fact, the number of screenings done to check for this cancer remain quite low. Colonoscopy can usually detect cancer at the early stages, thus saving the lives of many patients. Still, for one reason or another, about half of the amount of people who should be screened never undergo this process.

This may be due to a few reasons, chief among them being a lack of education on the disease. For one, many people think that colon cancer primarily strikes only men. Not true. The number of cases of colon cancer is almost equal among men and women. Second, not everyone is familiar with some of the signs and symptoms. Chronic diarrhea, blood in the stool, frequent stomach discomfort, and unusual changes in bowel habits are all indications that something may be amiss.

To help prevent the onset of this form of cancer, be on the lookout for any of the aforementioned symptoms and engage in a regular exercise program. Research has shown that walking for 60 minutes a day may decrease prostaglandin E2 levels -- a substance associated with colorectal cancer. Also, avoid smoking, and try to eat a diet rich in whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and keep your fat intake to a minimum.

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A new study from the University of California Irvine suggests that a diet rich in grapes may help reduce the risk of colon cancer. This form of cancer, which is the third most common form, kills a half a million people worldwide each year.

Using a freeze-dried grape powder mixed with water in place of actual grapes, researchers had volunteers consume 80g worth of the mix. After a mere two weeks, biopsies were taken and, amazingly, the researchers found that the genes responsible for colon cancer cell growth had been reduced by 47 percent in healthy tissue.

This study followed up on previous in vitro studies showing resveratol, an antioxidant found in grapes, blocks cellular signaling pathways that lead to the development of colon cancer.

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How often do you eat curry? Chances are, you might not be getting enough. In addition to being delicious, curry has been shown to have dozens of health benefits, including the most recent revelation that it can lower your risk of heart failure and heart attacks, according to research out of Canada. The not-so-secret heart-healthy ingredient is the spice Tumeric, which gives curry at least part of its distinctive flavour. In addition, it's also been shown to ward off panreatic and colon cancers.

So for dinner tonight, how about some curry?

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It sounds like some kind of medically-odd fairly tale: Mr. and Mrs. George Fry sailed the William & Mary to the New World (the U.S.) back in 1630 only to bring a mutated gene that causes colon cancer.

But that is exactly what University of Utah researchers are saying based on research they have performed into the national origins of colon cancer in the U.S. In fact, researchers say that two of the Fry's children also carried the genetic mutation as well. As a result, the "founder mutation" for the current forms of colon cancer in the U.S. has now been passed on to a considerable number of the descendants of the original couple.

Sounds like the standard travels of any ordinary virus: all it takes is a single individual to pass a condition along from one people or continent to the next, ala Outbreak or something, although Dr. Albert de la Chapelle says that "it is usually a matter of chance whether such a mutation becomes more and more widespread with time, or whether it disappears. This phenomenon is called genetic drift. In this case, the mutation appears to have spread but perhaps not excessively so."

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Ok, so it wasn't really a garage sale. But when Ozzy Osbourne decided to part with several of his personal affects from his home that was featured on the MTV reality show "The Osbournes," he raised $800,000 for cancer research among a mixed crowd of metal heads and art enthusiasts at a high-end auction house.

The proceeds will go to The Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Sharon was diagnosed with colon cancer while the show was still on the air, and she shared her experience with viewers.

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That's right -- eat all those grapes, please! A new study suggested that grape consumption may prevent colon cancer. Specifically, a diet that contains a copious amount of grapes would be a good thing for those possibly predisposed to colon cancer.

Grapes are delicious and nutritious (sorry if that sounds cheesy), and this report confirms what many naturopaths have said for a long time. That is, grapes contain quite a few components that are avid cancer fighters and are also potent antioxidants.

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At a recent check up, I was filling my practitioner in on That's Fit and the things we talk about here. "You should write about colon cancer," she said, and then told me she'd been diagnosed with it last year. I was shocked. She's young, takes good care of herself, eats right. She said that colon cancer is showing up in younger people more than ever. She thinks that everyone over 40 should have a fecal blood test, which is an inexpensive and painless way to check for blood in the stool.

I put the topic on my mental "to-do" list, but then today came across this article. New fecal blood tests can screen for colon cancer with a great deal of accuracy, but it seems that not very many people are using them. Most people go right for the colonoscopy, but because that's a test that isn't recommended until after age 50, younger people aren't being screened. Official recommendations haven't changed to include those over 40, but it might be worth mentioning to your doctor.

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Being a little thick around the middle may do more than just increase your risk for heart disease and diabetes, new research shows that bigger waists are connected to bigger colon cancer risk.

This new data comes from one of those "study of studies" where researchers compiled information from 30 previous and separate sets of research on colon cancer. Obesity in general was already known as a rectal cancer risk factor, but it seems abdominal fat is particularly dangerous. For every 4 inches a man gains around the middle his risk for colon cancer jumps up by 33%, and for women it goes up by 16%.

One more good reason to get your butt on the treadmill!

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The Partnership for Prevention recently released findings that outlined five preventative health services and actions that could save over 100,000 lives a year, a study that was partially funded by the CDC. The services include:

• taking one low-dose aspirin every day,: 45,000 lives per year
• advising smokers to quit, and offering treatment options to do so: 42,000 lives per year
• regular screening for colorectal cancer for those 50 and over: 14,000 lives per year
• getting a regular flu shot: 12,000 per year
• regular breast cancer screenings for women over 40: 4,000 lives per year

The next step is funding for programs that will educate the public and to reach those who fall into the gaps. For instance, the study found that Hispanic smokers are over 50% less likely to get help quitting and that Asian Americans are less likely than other groups to get preventative health screenings or take aspirin.

You don't have to wait for program to develop to take action. Take the list with you the next time you visit your doctor and make sure you're protecting your health to the fullest!

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Why, you say? Why? Why do I have to eat this super-weird Super Food that isn't a regular on my shopping list?

How about because it is a rich source of folate (folic acid), so it will help you prevent birth defects if you eat it while pregnant. They contain lots of vitamin K and vitamin C, for beautiful skin and increased immune function. Haven't convinced you yet? Well, OK, eating Brussels sprouts can actually help prevent cancer, particularly of the colon. Still not enough? They help increase the ability of your cells to detoxify and regenerate. And they really do taste delicious, especially when you know how to cook them right.

It won't be long until blueberries are in season, just ripe for picking. A recent animal study found good reason to include the juicy, blue fruit (as well as other berries) into your diet -- it may help protect your colon.

An antioxidant called pterostilbene -- which is similar to resveratol found in grapes and red wine -- is especially plentiful in blueberries. When mice who were induced with colon cancer were given balanced diets, the animals who were fed a pterostilbene supplement had fewer precancerous growths and less inflammation in the colon than the mice who didn't.

So if you needed a reason to include more berries -- especially blueberries -- into your diet, here it is! Read all about the wonders of blueberries here.

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Do you take a daily aspirin to ward off those potential, cancerous maladies that aspirin can apparently "ward off"? Well, a panel of U.S. experts said this week that the risks of aspirin -- including stomach bleeding -- outweigh its potential benefits in preventing colon cancer.

The study concluded that in people who have just an average risk of cancer, aspirin may do worse in its detriments than it can to help prevent that certain type or colon cancer (widely seen as the most deadly cancer type).

Moral of the story (or study): if you don't have any reason to believe you may be predisposed to colon cancer, there is no reason for that daily aspirin or other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to try to prevent it.

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Eating a large amount of carbohydrates does not appear to increase the risk of women developing colon cancer according to a new report.

While eating a good dose of carbs per day may pack on the pounds as all those starches are stored in the body if not burned, the correlation to the development of colon cancer appears to be nil, even though there is experimental evidence to suggest that abnormal sugar and carbohydrate metabolism plays a role in the development of colon cancer.

Cohesive data -- so far -- is lacking for humans, but this recent study from Sweden may be telling to a point. Still, lowering overall carb intake is a way to control weight (as least for me).

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Last week, we talked about how the rules on sun exposure and sunscreen might be changing. When we spend a short time in the sun each day, our bodies manufacture vitamin D, a necessary nutrient and something that's hard to get as efficiently elsewhere. A recent study has now found that having appropriatly high levels of vitamin D circulating in your body can significantly reduce the risk of breast and colon cancer.

If you're taking a daily vitamin, you're probably getting about 400 IU of vitamin D each day, in addition to the amount you get through milk or fish. Some experts believe that's not enough, and are suggesting people add vitamin D supplements to their diets. Part of the reason many of us are deficient in the vitamin is that it's only available in a few foods -- mostly milk and oily fish like mackeral -- and because of we don't get enough sunshine.

What's an appropriate amount of time in the sun? Experts say 15 minutes for fair-skinned people and 25-minutes for those with darker skin, and that you should have about 50% of your skin exposed. Also, delay taking a shower right away or dipping into the pool; your vitamin D levels will get a boost from allowing sweat and oil to sit on your skin a little longer.

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