Healthy Bowel
By Colorectal Surgeon Mr George Mathew
Bowel related illnesses are common in the community and bowel cancer in particular is one of the most common types of cancer in the country, with 80% of cases occurring in people over the age of 60.
Obesity, high alcohol intake and consumption of red and processed meat are all known to increase the risk of bowel disease. In comparison, people with low fat, high fibre diets are known to be at a lower risk of bowel disease. A diet high in fruit and vegetables is also known to help combat bowel cancer. Some common drugs such as aspirin and hormone replacement therapy may also reduce the risk. There is also evidence that some dietary supplements such as calcium, selenium and possibly folic acid can also reduce the risk.
Bowel cancer can run in families and the risk of developing the disease increases if you have a close relative who has or has had the disease.
The initial symptoms of bowel cancer include:
- Blood in your stool (faeces) and/or bleeding from your rectum
- a change to your normal bowel habits that persists for more than six weeks, such as diarrhoea, constipation, or passing stools more frequently than usual
- abdominal pain
- unexplained weight loss.
As bowel cancer progresses, it can sometimes cause bleeding inside the bowel which eventually will mean that your body will not have enough red blood cells. This is know as anaemia. Symptoms of anaemia include fatigue and breathlessness.
In some cases, bowel cancer can cause an obstruction in the bowel. Symptoms of bowel obstruction include:
- a feeling of bloating, usually around the navel (belly button)
- abdominal pain
- constipation
- vomiting.
You should always contact your GP if you experience any of the symptoms that are listed above. While the symptoms are unlikely to be the result of bowel cancer, these types of symptoms always need to be investigated further. 
Bowel cancer screening can detect bowel cancer at an early stage in people without symptoms; at this stage, treatment can be more effective and has shown to reduce the risk of death by 16%. Screening can also detect ‘polyps’, which can develop into cancer over a period of time. These polyps can be removed, which will reduce the risk of developing bowel cancer.
At present, national bowel cancer screening is offered to all men and women aged 60-69 every two years. If you are aged over 70, you can ask to be included in the screening programme.
