Welcome to the Nutrition Facts Podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Michael Greger.

I'm thrilled that you've decided to join me today because the more I learn about the latest

in nutrition research, the more convinced I am that this information can make a real difference

in all our lives, and I like nothing better than sharing it with you.

Today we focus on the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States, colon cancer.

And here's a really startling. In fact, 70% of colon cancer deaths are avoidable, but what

is the right course of prevention and treatment?

In our first story, we look at the screening recommendations for colonoscopies and ask

why doctors in the United States continue to recommend colonoscopies when other countries

recommend less invasive colon cancer screening methods.

So colonoscopies can cause serious harm in about one out of every 350 cases.

Sigma-idoscopies, which are shorter in smaller scopes, have 10 times fewer complications.

But do colonoscopies work better, the total risk benefit better? We don't know since we

don't have any randomized controlled colonoscopy trials and we won't until the mid-2020s.

So what should we do in the meanwhile?

The USPSTF, the official prevention guidelines body, considers colonoscopies just one of three

acceptable colon cancer screening strategies. Starting at age 50, we should either get our

stool tested for hidden blood every year, no scoping at all, or a sigma-idoscopie every

five years, along with stool testing every three, or a colonoscopie every 10 years.

And in terms of virtual colonoscopies or the new DNA stool testing, there's insufficient

evidence to recommend either of those two.

Though they recommend ending routine screening at age 75, that's assuming you've been

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