It’s the modern health crisis that’s baffling doctors across the globe: Rising rates of bowel cancer in people under 50 – many of who are perfectly fit and healthy.
And according to the most recent international data, this surge is hitting Britain more dramatically than the majority of other Western countries, including the US.
Now, the question that the world’s top experts are striving to answer is, why?
While research is yet to identify a specific smoking gun, groups of scientists have posed a variety of different theories – some of which are especially compelling.
The most recent proposal to attract the attention of experts was published earlier this week by researchers at the University of Miami.
Writing in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, the scientists suggested that the rise in young bowel cancers – also called colon cancer – may be partly explained by the phenomenon of ‘accelerated ageing’ among younger people.
‘Accelerated ageing’ is a scientific concept which means a person’s body is older than their chronological age or their number of birthdays.
The scientists found that each year of accelerated aging correlated with a 16 percent increased risk of developing polyps, small growths that can lead to cancer.
At the same time the team found these growths were occurring independently of other known risk factors for the disease such as obesity and smoking history.
This ageing is thought to be caused by a mixture of lifestyle choices, such as diet and level of exercise, as well as factors typically outside of an individual’s control like their environmental exposure to chemicals in their food, clothing and air.
While a tantalising potential link, the exact relationship between accelerated ageing and bowel cancer isn’t yet fully understood.
This is also just one theory. Other studies have pointed to dietary exposure to seed oils, like sunflower, canola, corn and grapeseed, as the explanation for the 50 per cent rise in young bowel cancers since the 90s.
Bowel cancer can cause you to have blood in your poo, a change in bowel habit, or a lump inside your bowel which can cause an obstructions. Some people also suffer with weight loss as a result of these symptoms
A recent American study, analysing the tumours of more than 80 patients with bowel cancer, found the growths contained high levels of bioactive lipids – microscopic fatty compounds that are produced when the body breaks down seed oils.
These lipids are believed to be dangerous in two ways. Firstly, they promote inflammation which helps cancers grow.
Secondly they are said to prevent the body from using natural defence mechanisms to fight the tumours.
Researchers behind the analysis urged people to swap seed oils for oils with omega-3 fatty acids such as olive and avocado oil.
Meanwhile, a growing number of studies have laid the blame at the foot of ultra-processed food (UPF) – and the global population’s increasing consumption of it.
For example, a Singaporean study found methylglyoxal, a compound released when the body breaks down sugary and fatty foods, interferred with a gene that helps fight off tumours.
Another 2023 study in the journal Clinical Nutrition found a ‘consistent significant association between intake of UPF and the risk of overall and several cancers,’ including those of the bowel.
Other lesser-explored theories involve microplastics – particles of plastic that are transferred on to food from packaging materials – and additives in store-bought foods.
Scientists believe that both these elements of modern life can end up in our guts, where they trigger a cascade of damage.
It is thought that they not only interfere with the intricate balance of healthy bacteria in the bowel, which can boast cancer-fighting properties, but they could destroy the organ’s protective barrier.
A weakened barrier could increase access of pathogenic bacteria and toxins to the inner layer of the bowel, sparking the development of tumours.
Regardless of what is causing the rise, there is significant evidence that it is a global problem that continues to mount.
When Ellie Wilcock experienced a sudden pain in her abdomen, she assumed that a urinary tract infection (UTI) was to blame. After all, it was something the then 25-year-old had experienced before
But the actual cause was a cancer that kills almost 17,000 Brits each year. Ellie, now 27, from Peterborough, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer – the most serious kind of the disease
A recent review of 50 nations found cases in the under 50s were on the rise in over half of all nations surveyed.
England was also found to have one of the fastest rises globally with the rate of the disease growing an average of 3.6 per cent each year.
Behind the statistics are heartbreaking stories of young people in the prime of their lives being diagnosed with bowel cancer.
Perhaps the most recognisable victim is Deborah James — known as ‘bowel babe’ — who was diagnosed at just 35 and raised millions for charity in her final days in 2022.
Another example of a fit and healthy women being hit by the disease was Zu Rafalat, of Finsbury Park, London, who died in 2020 aged 39.
The super-fit globetrotter initially thought she had caught a stomach bug in Central America where she went on holiday in December 2018.
It later turned out to be stage four bowel cancer which had spread to other organs.
Another, young British women hit by the disease in her prime was Ellie Wilcock who after experiencing a sudden pain in her abdomen, assumed that a urinary tract infection was to blame.
Dame Deborah James, nicknamed ‘bowel babe’, raised more than £11.3million for Cancer Research and is credited with increasing awareness of the disease, which killed her in 2022 aged 40
Ellie, now 27, from Peterborough, who enjoyed playing sports like tennis and hiking before her diagnosis, was eventually diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer – the most serious kind of the disease.
The trend isn’t limited to women. Actor Chadwick Boseman, of Black Panther fame, was killed by colon cancer at just 43.
Cancer Research UK, while having acknowledged the rise, highlight that bowel cancers among young people remain, statistically, rare.
There are around 2,600 new bowel cancer cases in people aged 25-49 in the UK every year and around 44,100 new cases among all ages.
This is predicted to rise to 47,700 cases per year by 2040, projections suggest.
Data shows only about one in 20 bowel cancers in the UK diagnosed in people aged under 50.
Zu Rafalat, 38, of Finsbury Park, whose bloating left her looking ‘six months pregnant’, was horrified to be diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer. She is pictured on holiday
While the cause of the rise in bowel cancer in young people remains under investigation, experts estimate that over half of the cases diagnosed in Britain each year are preventable from known cancer risk factors.
A shocking one in four of the preventable cases are caused by Brits eating too little fibre – found in fruits and vegetables and wholegrains – which is known to be a key factor in good digestive health.
About one in 10 cases are triggered by eating processed meat, with a similar number being caused by people being overweight or obese.
Studies have suggested the risk of getting bowel cancer increases by 18 per cent when people consume more than 50g of processed meat (one sausage) per day.
Some one in 20 cases are caused by drinking alcohol, smoking and from too little exercise.
Research suggests having just one pint of low strength beer per day, about two units, could increase your risk of bowel cancer by 4 per cent, with risk rising at higher alcohol consumption.
About one in 50 cases of bowel cancer are thought to be caused by radiation exposure, for example radiotherapy treatment.
A fifth of bowel cancer cases are thought to be rooted in a genetic risk.
Bowel cancer symptoms include changes in your bowel movements such as consistent and new diarrhoea or constipation, needing or feeling the need to poo more or less frequently, blood in the stool, stomach pain, a lump in the stomach, bloating, unexpected weight-loss and fatigue.
Anyone experiencing these symptoms should contact their GP for advice.
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