Is this Diet the Cause of the Rise in Young Adult Colorectal Cancer Cases?

Colorectal Cancer

Scientists are now investigating how diets heavy in fat and poor in fibre can cause changes in the digestive tract that enhance the risk for early-onset colorectal cancer, as the disease is becoming more common in young adults. According to experts at Ohio State University, a “Western diet” may upset the delicate bacterial balance in your digestive system, causing inflammation that speeds up cell ageing and increases cancer risk.

Over the course of the weekend, they presented their findings in Chicago at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting. The OSU researchers discovered that the average biological age of those with early-onset colorectal cancer was fifteen years older than their actual age. Patients with late-onset colorectal cancer shared comparable chronological and biological ages.

Your cells, tissues, and organs all have a biological age. Biological age is influenced by a person’s genetic makeup, environmental exposures, and lifestyle choices like food, exercise, and sleeping patterns. A person’s chronological age is the total number of years that they have lived.

Fusobacterium, a bacterium typically present in the mouth that may be responsible for the growth of colorectal cancer, is the culprit cited by the OSU researchers. The bacteria’s connection to colorectal cancer has also been investigated by other cancer researchers.

“Microbes can be targeted and manipulated. Thus, Susan Bullman, a researcher who has examined the relationship between bacteria and cancer, said, “We can use that information to think about how to prevent that as we see that this microbe is getting to tumors and may be actively contributing to disease progression.” Young people continue to receive surprising cancer diagnoses worldwide as experts work to understand the causes of early-onset colorectal cancer.

The American Cancer Society reports that in 2019, 20% of new cases of colorectal cancer were in individuals under the age of 55, an increase from 11% in 1995. High dietary fiber intakes have been linked to a decreased incidence of esophageal, gastric, colon, and rectal cancers, according to research.

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