Bowel cancer cases have risen in younger people, and health experts have warned Gen Z and Millennials to avoid certain foods in order to reduce the risk of the disease
As cases of bowel cancer continue to rise in under 50s, Gen Z are being told to avoid certain popular foods in a bid to lower their risk.
While bowel cancer was previously believed to affect primarily older people, cases in younger patients have started to creep up, and doctors believe specific foods are to blame – among other issues. Cancer Research UK claims there are approximately 44,100 new bowel cancer cases diagnosed each year in the UK, with everything from obesity, bad diet and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) suspected to be the cause.
Tim Spector, an epidemiologist, and scientific co-founder of health science company ZOE, told Newsweek that Gen Z and Millennial diets ‘aren’t great’ and said that misinformation on social media has made it difficult to know how to eat healthily.
The key thing, he says, is to avoid UPFs which are found in treats such as fizzy drinks and white bread, and even in supposedly healthy products like granola.
Instead, he advised eating vegetables, whole grains, nuts, healthy fats, seeds and oily fish is ‘key’ and said: “It’s not enough to simply eat ‘healthy’ – you need to eat in a way that supports a healthy, balanced gut microbiome. This is where fermented foods really shine.”
Fermented foods are a vital part of a healthy diet, and Dr Anne K. Mongiu, a colon and rectal surgeon advised eating plenty of fibre, and also gut-friendly foods like kimchi and other fermented snacks can help reduce risks of disease. She said that high-fibre diets can help reduce the risk of colorectal cancers, unlike those laden with junk food and UFPs.
She added: “The high-fat content of this diet can activate certain pathways in the body that stimulate basic cell types (stem cells) that line the large intestine and trigger them to turn cancerous.”
Meanwhile, health professionals have suggested that many young people may simply be ‘less aware’ of the symptoms of bowel cancer, which is famously known as a “silent killer”.
One woman, who was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the age of 25, has taken to social media to share the important message to others about the early warning signs she had before she was diagnosed. Ellie Wilcock had sharp pains along one side of her abdomen and sudden bouts of fatigue but blamed it on a urinary tract infection.
Doctors believed because her agonising pain was in just one side of her abdomen and pelvis it was a problem with her reproductive system – while others assumed it was an ovarian cyst. However, she was then diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer.
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