{"id":291988,"date":"2026-02-15T03:16:46","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T03:16:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/291988\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T03:16:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T03:16:46","slug":"famous-dog-trainer-has-colon-cancer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/291988\/","title":{"rendered":"Famous Dog Trainer Has Colon Cancer"},"content":{"rendered":"

Zak George used his social media<\/a> platform to announce that he was diagnosed with colon cancer<\/a> in December after a routine colonoscopy. He\u2019s another celebrity who doesn\u2019t fit the profile, like James Van Der Beek, but colon cancer<\/a> is on the rise in people under 50 like him. He\u2019s 47.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s why screening guidelines have been lowered to age 45,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He Thanked His Wife<\/p>\n

George didn\u2019t have any symptoms, but his wife nudged him to get screened, and he thanked her for it.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy wife Bree is so insistent on my going to my doctor\u2019s appointments, and there\u2019s a very good chance that I would have delayed this screening a few more years easily, if it were not for her.<\/p>\n

Care is Not Equal Across the U.S.<\/p>\n

George also used his platform to educate his audience about how not everyone has the same access to care, which actually changes outcomes. People who have a primary care doctor, transportation, and can take time off from work are more likely to see out care.<\/p>\n

His Cancer Journey<\/p>\n

So far, George has had a follow-up surgery and is scheduled to get radiation and possibly chemotherapy. Catching it early will likely help him in the long run.<\/p>\n

His Dog Training<\/p>\n

George is known for his positive reinforcement training style and shares his tips and tricks with his more than 3.6 million subscribers on his social media platforms.<\/p>\n

\"<p><a(Photo by Joe Kohen on Getty Images)What You Should Know About Colon Cancer Risks<\/p>\n

Colon cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Knowing your family history can be important. If you have a first-generation family member (mother, father, sibling) who have had colon cancer, you can get tested to see if you carry the same genes as those that cause this type of cancer.<\/p>\n

Your diet plays a role. Experts at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) say a diet high in animal fat, especially red meat, a lack of fruits and vegetables in the diet, and not getting enough fiber can all factor into your risk level.<\/p>\n

Lastly, drinking too much alcohol, not getting enough exercise, and smoking contribute to the risk. Even small amounts of exercise can benefit you. The CDC says you need about 150 minutes of exercise per week. Get in a few sweat sessions at your local gym to get the benefits.<\/p>\n

Cancer isn\u2019t always preventable, but you can take active measures to lower your risk.<\/p>\n

This story was originally published by Men’s Journal<\/a> on Feb 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the News<\/a> section. Add Men’s Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Zak George used his social media platform to announce that he was diagnosed with colon cancer in December…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":291989,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[23842,163,85,46,26796,2460,148486],"class_list":{"0":"post-291988","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-colon-cancer","9":"tag-health","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-israel","12":"tag-james-van-der-beek","13":"tag-social-media","14":"tag-zak-george"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=291988"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/291988\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/291989"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=291988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=291988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=291988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}