Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the leading cause of cancer-related death in men under age 50 and the second-leading cause in women in that age group. But fewer than 20% of the more than 19 million Americans between ages 45 and 49 have been screened for CRC. The recommendation is that everyone start getting screened at 45 -- and even younger with risk factors like a family history of the disease and certain chronic gastro conditions.

Many folks hate the idea of a colonoscopy. What they don't know is that it's the only screening test that can not only detect CRC -- but prevent it, too. How? By spotting pre-cancerous polyps and allowing the doctor to remove them immediately.

But what about the new at-home screening tests? A study from Stanford Medicine looked at 100,000 people and determined that if those people weren't screened, there would be 7,470 cases of CRC and 3,624 deaths. If that number of folks used the newest blood test, then there would be 4,300 cases of CRC and about 1,600 deaths. Among those using at-home, stool-based tests, there would be 2,200 cases of CRC, and around 1,000 deaths. But among folks who received a colonoscopy every 10 years, there would be just 1,543 cases of CRC and 672 deaths from the disease.

Clearly, some screening is better than none -- but don't you want the best chance of avoiding or surviving CRC? Talk to your doctor about your best option. And check out Dr. Oz's article "4 Ways to Improve Gut Health Naturally" at iHerb.com/blog.

Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's).