Worrying increase in bowel cancer in the young, fit & healthy

[notyetretired]

Just curious to know why this is?

There have been lots of reports lately reporting that the incidence of bowel cancer has increased to a worrying degree in the young, attributing it to a number of possible causes (e.g. microbiome/gut bacteria, processed food & meat consumption, obesity, screening younger etc).

However, many clinical experts have been baffled as to why they are increasingly seeing those who are genuinely young, fit and healthy (consuming no or very little meat/processed food and alcohol and who are into regular exercise). Several high profile cases fit this - Bowel Babe to name just one.

I'm curious to know why this is so? Of course, various studies are still ongoing any researchers on here with theories or observations as to what might be behind this rise? Also interested in more anecdotal evidence as to life style issues that might be contributing and which fit the timelines of the increases.

We know several 40 year olds who have died of cancer and they have been in peak physical fitness.
One concern of mine is alcohol. To put it bluntly, myself and others got utterly hammered on a regular basis from age 15-ish to 30-ish, and we were the first generation to do so.

Excessive protein and low fibre is quite damaging to the bowel. Keto, Atkins, other supposedly healthy low carb diets are not always great for the guts.

@primroseteapot I don't think anyone would argue that there are some lifestyle factors that can impact cancer risk. Some have stronger evidence to back them up than others.

Unfortunately whenever there's a discussion about cancer there can be an undercurrent of what comes across as "victim blaming". Someone diagnosed with cancer? Hmmmm....must have been fat, smoked, ate junk food, drank too much...must have done something to cause it. It's really offensive.

In reality you can do all the "right" things and still be diagnosed with cancer. Just getting old is probably the biggest risk factor of all. Unfortunately we can't "cancer-proof" ourselves. We do the best we can but need to acknowledge that much is not within our control and many risk factors can't be changed.

Yes - this. Also recreational drugs it has to be said.

Are more younger people really getting cancer though? I thought it just seemed that way because you notice it every time when it's someone your age.

But we are not talking about individuals, we are talking about population level occurrence.

Early-onset bowel cancer (Never2Young) - Bowel Cancer Australia

Crohns disease is a terrible thing, I have it, just for your information fibre is very hard to digest when you have crohn's, and can cause terrible stomach pains. Things like biscuits, cakes, chips from the chipy are easy to digest and don't cause stomach cramps. Please don't judge people with illnesses (that you appear to know nothing about), they are trying to get through the day and don't need judgment from others. What you would regard as a healthy diet isn't work for everyone.

*doesn't

With bowel cancer, yes. I have read about it, the medical profession can't understand it, and it is happening worldwide.

Um, surely people have been drinking milk for a very long time?

Are more younger people really getting cancer though? I thought it just seemed that way because you notice it every time when it's someone your age.

Early-onset bowel cancer (Never2Young) - Bowel Cancer Australia

This website says there has been a 226% increase (266%!) in bowel cancer in adolescents and young adults (15-24 years).

And that those born 1990 onwards have double the risk of bowel cancer and quadruple the risk of colon cancer compared to those born in 1950.

So, yes. And this is just in the really young.

One of the headlines today (sky news) is forever chemicals being in our food chain. Pregnant women consume this food, we all do.

I think it’s additives/gmos:

• artificial sweeteners
• artificial dyes/food colouring
• artificial flavourings
• artficial preservatives
• pesticide and fertiliser residue
• genetically modified grains
• artificiak growth hormones in milk/meat (except where banned)

If foods have carcinogens in them, then it’s the fault of governments and companies for selling those foods to us. I don’t like the poor diet, eating junk narrative because it’s blaming people literally for eating and drinking things legally sold to them and approved as safe by whatever regulations the country has for food safety.

Totally agree with this. The slow steady creep of utter crap into our diets is bound to have an impact on our collective health. No it’s not the only risk factor for cancer but people are in denial if they think half the stuff in supermarkets or in fast ‘food’ joints we should ingest. Yuck.

The book/podcast Ultra Processed People’s is a call to action on this.

And yes i worry about my kids when they become teens too. I just hope that their good grounding will have made an impact longer term.

I think people look for an answer that explains everything and there isn’t one. There are people who are genetically predisposed to certain conditions and illnesses, so many people on this thread have talked about fit 30 year old women who have become ill - over many years and raking over their diets doesn’t seem helpful. No diet or lifestyle protects anyone 100%.

At the same time, there is an increase in numbers of younger people who have bowel or colon cancer and there might be lifestyle, dietary or environmental reasons.

These two groups shouldn’t be conflated.

I think it's human nature to try and seek out a single cause when something horrible happens. It's our way of processing horrors.

The reality is that it's likely that there is not a single cause, and instead a whole host of factors are contributing to it. Diet, micro plastics, air pollution, and stress being the ones that immediately come to mind. Our bodies simply aren't designed to operate within our modern lifestyles and cancer is nature's way of telling us this.

Just remembered that Teflon is present in 99% of all living creatures on the planet.

Aahhhh, capitalism....

@BusterGonad wow talk about judgmental yourself! I absolutely do know about bowel disease living with it myself and a family history of it. I was pointing out that though my mum thinks all the gluten free processed food she's eaten is healthy it's actually full of crap. Maybe do some research yourself. There are ways to be gluten free without eating the junk. I worry for my mum I'm not judging her!

Can I just add its not only bowel cancer that's increasing in the young. It's the same with many cancers. I had kidney cancer in my 30s as a healthy, slim young woman who ate a good diet. Kidney cancer was always seen as an old man's cancer but my consultant told me there's been a big increase in young people getting it.
I really believe it's due to all the chemicals and pesticides we're exposed to, as well as processed foods.

One of my friends is an oncologist and we were talking about this the other day. She thinks it's various factors, but in a nutshell 1) too much meat, especially bacon etc. I don't eat meat so I can't recall what the particular category of meat is, but things like sausages, ham 2) lack of vegetables and lack of variety in vegetables 3) microplastics. I mean there's probably a lot more to it, and a lot we don't understand yet, but she thinks those 3 things are factors.

My money is on the artificial sweeteners. I believe there is already early evidence that they cause changes in the way the body reacts to food and in the bowel flora.

Saccharin was initially banned as a potential carcinogen but is now back in food and there have always been rumblings about aspartame even before the WHO comments last year.

The use of them has skyrocketed over the last few years thanks to the demonisation of sugar and they are now in so many different food products that they take considerable effort to avoid.

Yes I used to love Diet Coke but don’t touch it now .

I read somewhere the rise in cancers in younger women might be due to antibiotic use. Women are more likely to need them i.e. uti infections. Apologies as I don’t have a link.

Exactly.
This thread is deeply odd to read, it's quite unpleasant to realise how many people are secretly judging people who get diagnosed with cancer.

Genetics has a huge role for starters. And then all the societal level environmental factors. And better diagnosis