Fact:At least 6 out of every 10 deaths from colorectal cancer could be prevented if all men and women aged 50 years or older were screened routinely.

Fact:The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2011 about 141,210 people were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the US.

Fact:The American Cancer Society estimated that in 2011 about 49,380 people died of colorectal cancer in the US.

Fact:Colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer.

Fact:Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in both men and women in the US.

Fact:Overall, 90% of new cases and 94% of deaths occur in individuals 50 and older.

Fact:Colorectal cancer incidence and mortality rates are highest in African American men and women.

Fact:One of the most consistently reported relationships between colon cancer risk and behavior is the protective effect of physical activity.

Fact:The goals of screening for colorectal cancer are the prevention of cancer through the detection and removal of precancerous growths and the diagnosis of cancers at an early stage.

Diseases

Gluten

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Gluten, in its simplest definition, is a kind of protein that tends to exist in wheat, barley, and rye among other carbohydrates. It is important to note that, despite a wide spread misconception, gluten alone is not necessarily bad for your health. However, some people do have difficulty digesting gluten and therefore must avoid it.

One very common misconception about gluten is that it simply is grain. While, gluten is typically found in wheat and other mainstays in the grain family, it is not synonymous with grain. Gluten is a component of grains and cereals. This fact does not imply sameness for simple inclusion in the grain family does not ensure that a foodstuff will contain gluten. For example, many kinds of grains do not include any gluten. For instance amaranth, oats (though there is some controversy about this), buckwheat, and soybeans are all gluten free foods.

So if gluten is not grain then just what is gluten? Gluten is made up of several defining characteristics. For example, gluten has insolubility to water meaning it will not dissolve when placed in water. It can, on the other hand, be expunged from grain, (and this is a unique characteristic that defines what is gluten) by kneading your base dough stringently. Though this can be a controversial topic and for many with a gluten intolerance or gluten sensitivity it is the best practice to abstain from consuming gluten-containing foods.

Bread of course has many unique characteristics and it is the gluten within it that actually causes a great many of these traits. For instance, it is gluten that gives bread the bendy, chewy composition that we are all so familiar with. Due to this, bread that has been depleted of gluten tends to revert to a puddy-like, sticky glob as it is gluten, which gives it its shape.

Gluten is also tough. Because of gluten, certain bread items like pizza dough or bagels have a dense, chewy composition. This is in fact somewhat related to the characteristics of gluten that we mentioned above and is one of the reasons why people with gluten sensitivity have difficulty digesting it and need to stick to gluten free foods.

Another trait of gluten is the fact that it will retain gases in the baking process. Simply put, this is why bread rises. It is because of gluten. This is one reason why people with a gluten allergy will be best served by sticking to gluten free foods.

Gluten promotes absorption, so foods containing gluten are able to soak up fluid. Because of gluten, bread, for instance, is very absorbent. This quality allows gluten to function as an imitation meat, and is therefore popular with many vegetarians. Due to this, those individuals who maintain a gluten-free diet due to gluten sensitivity will often avoid “fake” meat and other imitations.

One percent of the United States population suffers from celiac disease. Celiac disease is quite serious as it results in abnormal immune responses to gluten. Due to this, people with celiac disease must maintain 100% gluten free diets. This makes eating a bit more challenging for this minority or people who have the most severe gluten allergy. Note that you can be gluten sensitive or have a gluten allergy without actually having celiac disease.