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Sadly, Alaska Native people have the highest rates of colorectal cancer globally. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is on a mission to determine why.
Research has found that Alaska Native people have higher levels of harmful bacteria in their gut compared to Africans living in Africa who have fiber-rich diets and very low rates of colon cancer. Additionally, the stool of Africans in the study had more healthy bacteria and substances that protect the colon than Alaska Native people.
As research continues, ANTHC recommends colonoscopies starting at age 40, 10 years earlier than the guidelines for the general population.
– Eve Lederman, The 100 Companies