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.

I think it would incredibly hard to eat 2000 calories worth of salad, meat and fish daily. Unless there's no movement at all during the day there must be calories in that diet that aren't from healthy food. I'm not having a go at you btw, I speak as someone who, while not obese, would like to be 4 kg lighter. I know in my heart that there are some things that I'm eating that I shouldn't if I want the 4kg to go!

Almost all the threads of people with cancer are currently under general health, about 100 of them. Most of us are just hiding this thread and reporting as needed - I agree with those saying it should be taken down as there is so much unpleasantness directed to those with cancer and so much misinformation some of which people have died from following. But MN is allowing it to stand as free speech so all we can do is report, report, report but I am sure all of us with cancer have much pleasanter ways to spend our day. Bear in mind if you are gloating about someone having cancer and you not that person's family or they could read it. That post has been removed.

This thread has it all. Unsubstantiated claims about cancer being caused by sugar, late weaning, mobile phones.

WTF are some of you on? Just sit back and enjoy your healthy, blameless cancer free status. I hope you're never faced with living with cancer. A bit of compassion wouldn't go amiss here.

I think this thread proves there are many theories as to why so many people are getting cancers and we will probably never really know why.

All we can do is try our utmost to live as healthy as we can (or wish to) and pray for breakthroughs in medical science.

There is no doubt many of us do live unhealthy lives but equally there are many who don’t such as my dear mum who has never smoked, drank, taken drugs or has been overweight yet is bent over with painful osteoporosis, has Alzheimer’s and now has breast cancer. On the flip side there’s my DH’s 92 year old uncle who has smoked since he was 14 and is still going strong and has never seen a doctor. No rhyme or reason to any of that.

Interesting thread. My 10 year old dad was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis 18 months ago. It took years of being fobbed off by gps to get a diagnosis finally & it took a real toll on my mental health. It's statistically proven that women and children are believed less when presenting with symptoms.

Also, it's apparently true that Asian countries have less bowel cancer & it's thought that's due to all the fermented foods, although they have more stomach cancer.

I believe there is a lot we don't know about it but risk factors are genetic, diet, environmental, stress & toxins. Stress is a massive one - the link between the brain & the gut is fascinating.

I think it would incredibly hard to eat 2000 calories worth of salad, meat and fish daily. Unless there's no movement at all during the day there must be calories in that diet that aren't from healthy food

But it isn't just "salad meat and fish". The often touted " healthy grains", nuts, avocados, etc. are extremely calorie dense and you really have to monitor portion size.

Once I hit menopause I had to significantly reduce my calories to avoid weight gain. If I ate 2,000 calories a day I'd be overweight (and that's with exercising over an hour each day). So I could indeed become overweight/obese even if I piled my plate with healthy foods. Calories/portion size still count even if your diet is primarily healthy.

I often wondered this. The amount of exercise loving people that fall to cancer is hard to not notice..not implying exercise isn't important, clearly it is but perhaps there is something in the intensity flipping that epigenetic switch.

Wish more research was taken.

However I have been seeing a push for zone 2 (less intense) exercise being optimal via the likes of Peter Attia & Huberman (longevity experts).

I've also seen a recent article somewhere stating that the young that get cancer with no genetic link appear to have aged cells - much older than normal and scientists are unsure why. Perhaps what our mothers ate during pregnancy? Who knows?!

For all those suffering, my thoughts and prayers go out to you. 🙏❤️

For all those suffering, my thoughts and prayers go out to you.

😂😂

via the likes of Peter Attia & Huberman (longevity experts)

Marketing themselves as "longevity experts" doesn't make it true.

These people make money by gaining a following and endorsing various health devices and supplements. Occasionally their recommendations are way outside of the mainstream. Recommending that healthy non-diabetics wear continuous glucose monitors and that people with average risk have frequent screening colonoscopies and upper endoscopies should be viewed with a fair amount of skepticism IMO.

I'm not a huge fan of internet health gurus.

I mean what I said. And that goes to you as especially.

Would you have liked if my post omitted that?

Please go and patronise someone else. You couldn’t pick me out of a lineup. And I’m not suffering. Byeeeee!

You responded to my post with the crying laughing emoji?!

You posted previously that you have cancer.

I'm glad I couldn't pick you in a line up but I'm sorry, you're not the only one with this disease. I'd have though that the majority of the posters here are on the same side - we need to understand how to prevent this disease, if it is in fact preventable. My original post was in no way aimed at you. I'm sorry that you feel it WAS aimed at you. But, as this is a public forum, we are allowed to discuss this disease!

I never singled you out in my original post but you feel inclined to reply to all of my posts? I won't post again on this thread.

Yes, and it's quite noticeable. It's probably quite difficult to get funding for targeted research in this area as it might be seen as anti-exercise, but of course all avenues should be investigated.

Running marathons and HIIT are definitely something that became popular more recently, perhaps in the mid 1990s/2000s so fit the time lines.

There is research showing that prolonged exposure to ongoing stressors can keep cortisol levels consistently high, which can wear down the body on a cellular level. Studies have suggested this reaction may raise the risk of cancer or cause existing cancer to spread more rapidly.

Chronic high levels of cortisol is very common in marathon runners and in endurance sports. Studies have also shown that chronic high cortisol can lead to decreases in level of our immunological response.

Not sure whether there are differences in how male/female bodies react to chronic high cortisol levels, if there is a difference?

I'm glad this thread has been moved to General Health. Very sorry to those who have or are suffering from cancer but now it's in the General Health I do think these are important questions to ask, and not at all a 'blame the patient' scenario at all.

https://www.health.harvard.edu/cancer/prolonged-stress-may-increase-the-risk-of-death-from-cancer

Yes. It really annoys me how lots of exercise advice recommends including HIIT. For most unfit people walking or swimming is so much better. And/or something for mind and body like yoga.

Anything high intensity will just make you ill if you are already stressed and be counterproductive for weight loss. I know, as I tried it for years, just trying to get back into the exercise I did before I had kids, and thinking I was just unfit when it wasn't working, and it was just making me more tired, ill and stressed.

Until I read about cortisol and took up yoga and got a dog instead. I can do some high impact cardio again now and weights but it was counterproductive until I'd sorted out my working life and hormones first. And sleep.

It's interesting regarding exercise as I was told by the specialist BCN post breast cancer treatment, that HIIT and strength training are recommended as they reduce the risk of recurrence. I actually no longer enjoy HIIT in the same way as I did when I was younger but do incorporate it occasionally. I also do regular strength training and walk around 40 miles a week. I also go out mountain biking. All of those I thoroughly enjoy and feel great after so feel they are doing me good.

I can't remember whether I posted it on this thread or another but I recently lost a friend who was a health and fitness professional to brain cancer. Couldn't have met a healthier person, nor a fitter one. It was very cruel given they'd spent their entire working life doing all the right things.

I noticed during covid that sometimes you would read or hear about a relatively young person dying of the disease who was quoted as being "fit and healthy, ran marathons". Possibly there is some bias in people reporting such incidents. But I also started to wonder if marathon training really does make you healthy or if it is just added stress onto your body and hence affecting your immune system.

@Almostwelsh Actually that's true. And the incidents of early onset bowel cancer, I seem to have seen a graph somewhere, increased faster post 2020.

But then running really took off during Covid and many more people have taken it up. I also read that post-pandemic marathon finishing times have decreased for both men and women, so presumably a lot of people trained hard during this time.

Are you actually trying to say running causes bowel cancer?

I have just recovered from colon cancer so I am still healing physically and mentally from it. But reading some of these comments which are utterly insensitive and bloody ridiculous.
My oncologist didn’t tell me I could get cancer in my bowel from drinking frothy drinks, or running in marathons??? No I think not. This page needs to be deleted.
So many experts on this page? Have you got links to your information your putting across? Please do as I’d really like to read them.

There is plenty of evidence that exercise "decreases the severity of side effects of cancer treatment, reduces fatigue, improves quality of life, has a positive impact on mental health and improves aerobic fitness in cancer patients. Moreover, it reduces the risk of cancer recurrence and death. Physical activity is recommended for patients with any type of cancer and at all stages of treatment." (link Physical Activity and Cancer Care—A Review - PMC (nih.gov) ) . Where people may be speculating is around the fact that over-exercising CAN impair the immune system (link Can exercise affect immune function to increase susceptibility to infection? - PubMed (nih.gov) ) - this couldn't directly impact cancer risk but if someone is more susceptible to certain infections or has trouble clearing an acquired infection this could feasibly be a causative factor as ,for eg. there is a theory with limited research evidence that a type of E.Coli gut infection can be a risk factor for bowel cancer. We already know that H.Pylori is associate with stomach cancer and HPV with cervical, rectal, penile and oro-pharyngeal cancers. HPV for eg.is such a common virus that most do not have any problems because our bodies clear it but some people unfortunately are more susceptible and have it come or go or persist in the body ,there are always individual factors that determine our risk and most cancers are likely a combination of risk factors.

Previously someone asserted that it has been "proven" that eating dairy products increases the risk of bowel cancer.

I really think they should inform Cancer Research UK as they seem to believe the opposite!

https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/causes-of-cancer/cancer-myths/can-milk-and-dairy-products-cause-cancer

I personally am wondering whether stress from worrying about health can increase the risk of cancer. It would seem to fit with a link someone posted above about a link between stress and cancer. Something to think about.

Being physically fit reduces morbidity from ALL causes.

Yes of course exercise is good and has found to be a factor that decreases ill health and prolongs longevity.

But there are studies which show that ultra endurance/marathon running can cause some negative effects in terms of decreased immune responses and increased levels of cortisol ('stress hormone') which in turn has indicated that were cancer is present, it may spread faster.

This thread is in General Health now so hopefully given that it's been a general discussion about research - with lots of links if people did bother to look - I can't see why it should be shut down?

We're not completely off the track with this and there is actually - it seems - a study that is looking into precisely what we've been discussing - whether there is a connection between endurance sports and colorectal cancer (below is a link):

Endurance Sports and Colorectal Cancer: Is There a Connection? - Inova Newsroom

I'm sorry to hear that but glad you are healing.

We moved this from the Cancer to the General Health to give people the option to keep an open discussion about this.

The links are above - research on endurance sports/cortisol (stress hormone) and links with decreased immune response.

Also see link below re a study that is currently looking at endurance sports and links to colorectal cancer or, to quote:

Timothy L. Cannon, MD, is board certified in medical oncology, hematology and internal medicine. He serves as the Sheridan Director, Molecular Tumor Board and Co-Director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Program.
"After treating three ultramarathoners who had developed colorectal cancer in recent years, I had a suspicion: This could be more than a coincidence..."