Bowel Cancer in Young People: Bowel cancer cases are increasing rapidly among young people. The worrying thing is that the biggest cause of bowel cancer is environmental and lifestyle factors. Changing some habits can reduce the risk.
Bowel Cancer Causes in Young Adults: People get scared as soon as they hear the name of cancer. It is considered to be the most fatal disease and if it is not treated on time, then the patient loses his life. There are many types of cancer, one of which is bowel cancer, which is very dangerous. In the year 2022, 19 lakh new cases of bowel cancer were found, while 9 lakh people died. It is a matter of concern that bowel cancer is now making young people its victims.
The number of bowel cancer patients has increased rapidly in the last two decades and a large number of young people are also included in them. It was once believed that cancer only happens to the elderly, but now the situation has changed. According to the American Cancer Society, in the last 20 years, the number of bowel cancer cases in people under the age of 55 has doubled. The surprising thing is that the biggest reasons for this cancer include poor lifestyle, wrong eating habits, bacterial toxins and stress.
According to the TOI report, bowel cancer is called colorectal cancer in medical terms. It is a cancer that affects the large intestine and rectum. It usually starts as small lumps or polyps in the inner lining of the intestine, which turns into cancer over time. When these polyps are not examined and treated on time, these cells start growing uncontrollably and start damaging the surrounding tissues. This cancer develops slowly and initially there are no special symptoms of it. When it grows, symptoms like frequent diarrhea or constipation, bleeding in stool, abdominal pain, gas, weakness, fatigue and sudden weight loss are seen.
Many researches have shown that up to 90% of colon and colorectal cancers are caused by lifestyle and environmental factors. In simple terms, these cancers can be prevented. Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world and can be prevented. Not only bowel cancer, but breast, lung, ovarian and pancreatic cancers are also increasing rapidly among the youth. According to research published in ‘The Lancet Oncology’, cases of colorectal cancer are increasing among the youth in Western countries, while cases of this cancer are stable or declining among the elderly.
According to a study published in the journal Nature, the toxin colibactin produced by some types of E. coli bacteria may be a possible cause of increasing cases of bowel cancer in young people. Research shows that mutations associated with colibactin were 3 to 5 times more in patients under the age of 40 than in patients over the age of 70. Apart from this, consumption of ultra-processed foods such as packaged snacks, sugary drinks and unhealthy oils has become a part of the Western diet. These things cause inflammation in the intestines and increase the risk of cancer. A research by USF Health and Tampa General Hospital Cancer Institute has revealed that ultra-processed foods can disrupt the body’s natural healing process.
You will be surprised to know that excessive stress and anxiety are also a major cause of increasing cases of cancer in youth. Long-term stress weakens the body’s immunity, changes the intestinal microbiota and promotes inflammation. This increases the risk of tumor development. According to the National Institutes of Health, chronic stress affects the immune response and can increase cancer growth. Stress and anxiety must be controlled at all costs, so that the risk of cancer can be reduced.
