Guide to Fighting Colon Polyps

From garlic and turmeric to foods that contain vitamin D, natural remedies for preventing colon polyps abound and are available in practically every home. The purpose of this online guide is to educate you on how smart food choices can help prevent the formation of both benign colon polyps (also known as colon adenomas) and their malignant counterparts, the dreaded pre-cancerous and cancerous polyps that may lead to the development of colorectal cancer.

Colon polyps, fleshy growths that occur on the inside lining of the colon, are fairly common, with about 30% of Americans developing them at some point in their life. These growths can be as small as a pea or as big as a golf ball. The small ones rarely cause problems and may never be noticed. However, some colon polyps, especially those that are larger in size, may cause symptoms like rectal bleeding, constipation, diarrhea, or abdominal pain. Furthermore, although the majority of colon polyps are harmless adenomatous polyps, some (about 1%) become cancerous over time.

Although anyone can develop colon polyps, people over 50 years of age are more likely to get them. Furthermore, smokers, overweight people, and people who have a hereditary predisposition to polyposis or colon cancer are at a higher risk of developing them. In addition, certain dietary factors are associated with an increased risk of developing colon polyps.

Although not all colon polyps are likely to become malignant, they all should be tested for cancer, whether symptomatic or not. Doctors use several techniques to examine and remove polyps, including sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy. Flexible sigmoidoscopy involves the use of a sigmoidoscope — a thin, flexible instrument with a light at the end — which is inserted into the rectum. It allows the doctor to view the lower part of the colon. Colonoscopy is similar to sigmoidoscopy, except that it enables the doctor to reach both the lower and the upper part of the colon.

If a section of the colon that contains a polyp is removed, another polyp cannot recur in that area. However, new benign or malignant polyps may develop in other areas. Therefore, it is crucial to adopt a healthier lifestyle in order to reduce the risk of new colon polyps. One factor that plays an important role in the prevention of polyps is the diet. In this section of the healwithfood.org website, you will find nutrition-related tips on how to reduce your risk of developing colon polyps naturally by changing the way you eat. Whether you are looking for diet tips on how to prevent adenomas and other types of colon polyps, or whether you are on a quest for healthy recipes with polyp-fighting ingredients, you will find the information you need in one of the main sections of this guide:

Colon Polyps: 5 Diet Tips for Reducing Risk of Polyps

The food you put into your mouth can have a big impact on whether you will develop recurrent colon polyps. In this section, you will learn how certain dietary tweaks – such as eating more foods that contain quercetin or vitamin D – can help keep your intestinal tract free of polyps.

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7 Foods That Help Prevent Colon Polyps

There are several natural food remedies for preventing polyps in the colon. In this section, you will learn why foods like broccoli, red onions, garlic and turmeric are among the best natural remedies for preventing colon polyps. And the best thing is, most of these natural remedies are available at your local grocery store!

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Recipes for Fighting Colon Polyps

How about a bowl of apple and onion soup that is loaded with the flavonoid quercetin, one of nature's best weapons against intestinal polyps? Or perhaps a bowl of broccoli salad which provides plenty of sulforaphane, a naturally-occurring compound that has been shown to prevent polyps in animals. To view the recipes for these and other anti-polyp dishes, click on the link below.

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