That Gut Feeling!

Find out what’s troubling your tummy – it could change your life!

- Chan Li Jin

Let’s face it – bowel habits do not make the most palatable topic for conversation. But how many of us have a worrying abdominal pain, rectal bleeding or changes in our bowel habits that we have chosen to ignore?

With colorectal cancer being the third most common cancer in women and highest in Asia, we can no longer ignore these signs. Ageing, increasing affluence and risk factors – such as the western diet, obesity and smoking – do not help the case either.

Then there is gastric or stomach cancer. Although gastric cancer in Asia is decreasing due to the eradication of the H Pylori bacteria (this bacteria is linked to gastric cancer), Asia still has amongst the highest rates in the world.

“An increased risk of stomach cancer is associated with diets containing large amounts of smoked foods, salted fish and meat, and pickled foods. On the other hand, eating fruits and vegetables that are high in vitamins A and C can lower the risk of stomach cancer,” says Dr Prabhjot Singh Sidhu, consultant gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Ara Damansara Medical Centre.

Less scary but equally problematic are common gastrointestinal problems that occur more often among women compared to their male counterparts. “This is because women have a longer gut transit time, which basically means everything moves slower from the start to the end of the digestive system,” explains Dr Prabhjot.