One fifth of Irish men have admitted they would not seek medical help, even if they experienced worrying symptoms such as passing blood.
The finding comes from a new national survey of 1,293 men and women, published yesterday.
It found some 20 per cent of men and 16 per cent of women would ignore blood in their stools - a potential indicator of more serious problems, such as colon cancer, where prompt diagnosis can save lives.
They said they would be too embarrassed to discuss such symptoms, and a range of others, with their GP.
For example, some 70 per cent of men and 67 per cent of women said they would not visit their GP if persistently suffering from diarrhoea, while 71 per cent of men and 66 per cent of women said they would not seek help if they had persistent stomach cramps.
Norma Cronin, health promotion manager of the Irish Cancer Society, said symptoms of bowel cancer include bleeding from the back passage and changes in bowel habits lasting more than a month. She stressed the importance of seeking medical help if such symptoms were present.
The survey was conducted by 72 Point, an online research company based in the UK.
It was commissioned by probiotic drink company Yakult and its findings were released to mark the start of National Gut Week, which aims to increase awareness of the symptoms of gut-related problems and the importance of acting on them quickly.