Doctors think they’ve solved the mystery of rising bowel cancer rates in young people – it could be in your fruit and vegetable section
It’s a worrying health trend that’s baffling doctors: the sharp increase in the number of young people being diagnosed with colon cancer.
According to studies, the number of cases of the deadly disease among 25-49 year olds has increased by 52 percent over the past three decades.
Now three of the world’s leading gut health specialists have weighed in and offered their intriguing possible explanations for the trend.
Perhaps most troubling is the idea from Dr. Michelle Hughes, a gastroenterologist at Yale Medicine, that the increase could lie in our increasing use of microscopic chemicals found in everyday objects – from food packaging to fruits and vegetables.
These substances are medically known as endrochrine-disrupting chemicals – “tiny airborne particles and chemical pollutants that disrupt the healthy balance of bacteria in our gut,” Dr. Hughes explained.
‘This can cause inflammation and stress that can lead to cancer.
‘People born after 1950 may be at greater risk because they have been exposed to more environmental changes and pollutants throughout their lives.’
An example of an endocrine disrupting chemical that experts are increasingly concerned about is pesticides; substances used in the production of fruit and vegetables.
One study, published in the journal Frontiers in Cancer and Society, suggested that exposure to agricultural pesticides could be as bad as tobacco smoke for increasing our risk of certain cancers.
A studypublished in the journal Frontiers in Cancer and Society, suggested that exposure to agricultural pesticides could be as bad as tobacco smoke for increasing our risk of certain cancers.
The chemicals used to control weeds and insects can remain on fruits and vegetables, meaning we regularly ingest them in small amounts.
Researchers from Rocky Vista University in Colorado looked at 69 different pesticides – including the agricultural weedkiller 2,4-dichloroacetic acid and glyphosate used in Britain – and warned about the harm of exposure to a ‘cocktail’ of different chemicals.
They found that areas with heavy agricultural production and pesticide exposure were associated with an increased incidence of colon cancer.
The results also suggested that exposure was linked to the development of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leukemia and cancers of the bladder, colon, lung and pancreas.
However, researchers only emphasize the link between pesticides and cancer, not the evidence that it is the cause.
Pesticides have previously been linked to neurological disorders, hormonal disruptions, damaging DNA and causing inflammation – which could increase the risk of cancer.
World’s leading specialists also suggest that the rise in cancer rates is due to poor nutrition.
Eating large amounts of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), such as sugary drinks, chips and sweets, increases the risk of several types of cancer.
Diets full of UPFs not only promote weight gain, which can increase the risk of cancer, but are also deficient in fiber, which is essential for a healthy digestive system.
This is what the well-known nutritional scientist Professor Tim Spector, founder of the popular Zoe diet app, tells us Newsweek that eating fiber-rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and nuts is crucial.
He explained that when it comes to protecting yourself from colon cancer, it’s not just about “avoiding the bad stuff,” but also about giving your body food that allows it to “thrive.”
Fiber helps regulate bowel movements and reduces the time harmful substances come into contact with the colon, Professor Spector said.
Non-biological factors may also play a role in the increase in the number of colon cancer diagnoses.
Greater awareness of the disease thanks to people like Dame Deborah James, who died of bowel cancer in 2022 aged 40, and improved diagnostic techniques are said to have played a role in increasing the number of young people diagnosed.
Logically, the better young people know the symptoms of bowel cancer, the more likely they are to be checked as a result.
But Dr. Anne Mongiu, a colorectal surgeon at Smilow Cancer Hospital, USA, warned that symptoms such as a change in bowel habits, blood in the stool, fatigue and abdominal pain are still often mistaken for ‘less serious’ conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) .
She urged all age groups to recognize the warning signs of bowel cancer and seek medical help.
