Americans issued warning over common eating habit after one cancer surges among Gen Z and Millennials

In recent years, doctors have highlighted a worrying rise in colon cancer within the under 50 age group - and now a specific diet is being warned against.

In December 2024, Cancer Research UK published an article explaining how rising rates of early-onset bowel cancer are a ‘global phenomenon’ and some of the steepest increases are happening in England, according to a new study.

Statistics show that one in every 20 bowel cancer cases in the UK are in people under 50.

And while it’s still not completely clear why it’s becoming more common for young people, more and more studies are being conducted to get to the bottom of it.

It’s also important to note that while it’s on the rise, it is still ‘rare’ and experts have reassured that people ‘shouldn’t be scared’.

A new study released on Tuesday (8 July) in ‘the ‘British Journal of Surgery,’ outlined that between 2010 and 2019, early-onset colorectal cancers increased by 14.8 percent in the United States, while rates worldwide are also increasing.

A new study linking colorectal cancer to a specific diet has been released (Getty Stock Images)

It suggests that, while the reason is still unknown, scientists think environmental factors such as diet and lifestyle could be somewhat responsible for the sharp increase.

Obesity, a Western-pattern diet, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and smoking and alcohol use were named as risk factors.

What actually is a ‘Western diet,’ you may be asking?

In simple terms, it consists of high intakes of ultra-processed foods, saturated fats and refined carbohydrates, paired with low intakes of plant-based foods.

The link between obesity and the increased risk of early-onset gastrointestinal cancers comes at a time when obesity is also rising in America.

According to a 2019 study, almost half of adults in the US are predicted to be obsese by the year of 2030.

And another piece of research released around the same time looked into the association between women who are obese and the risk of early onset colorectal cancer.

One in every 20 bowel cancer cases in the UK are in people under 50 (Getty Stock Image)

The findings revealed that in a study of 85, 256 women, those with obesity had a nearly doubled risk of the disease.

But why are they linked? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity can cause long-lasting inflammation and higher than normal levels of insulin, insulin-like growth factor, and sex hormones.

It’s these changes that reportedly may lead to cancer and the risk increases with the more excess weight a person gains and the longer a person is overweight, according to the body.

The new study in question comes after scientists claimed to have made a link between a specific childhood eating habit and the rise in colon cancer.

The research, which was published in April, highlighted how exposure to a particular toxin in childhood or adolescence could pave the way to developing the disease years later.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Macmillan’s Cancer Support Line on 0808 808 00 00, 8am–8pm seven days a week.