According to scientists, getting people to eat a healthy diet, exercise more, avoid smoke, and cut down alcohol consumption could likely prevent about one-fourth of the 1.2 million cases of colon cancer that are diagnosed each year.

Denmark researchers found that by following the guidelines on physical activity, waist circumference, alcohol intake, smoking and diet could decrease a person’s risk to develop colon cancer by as much as 23 percent.

According to Anne Tjonneland, the scientist who led the study from the Institute of Cancer Epidemiology at the Danish Cancer Society, the study reveals the importance of a public health message that even the slightest differences in lifestyle can make a substantial effect on the risk of colorectal cancer.

There are about half million people worldwide that die each year due to colorectal cancer, also referred to as colon or bowel cancer.

The study was made among 55,487 men and women at the ages of 50-64 years old that had not been previously diagnosed with cancer and tracked them along for almost 10 years.

The participants were presented with lifestyle and diet questionnaires and the researchers made a healthy lifestyle index based on the recommendations from various health institutions.

The results showed that 678 people were diagnosed with bowel cancer during the follow-up period. The results are now published in the British Medical Journal.

According to the researchers’ analysis, if the participants followed five lifestyle tips, 13 percent of colon cancer cases might have been avoided while 23 percent of cases could have been prevented if they followed one more extra guideline.

Experts suggest that people should be convinced to follow a good diet and healthy lifestyle to prevent the risk of colon cancer.