A doctor has shared five simple changes you can make to your lifestyle to lower your risk of one of the most rapidly rising cancers globally. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common form of cancer in the UK, but second most deadly, attributing for 16,000 deaths every year.
Even more worrying though is the fact that rates of bowel cancer are rising quickest among those aged under 50.
A recent study showed a 3.6 percent increase per year in bowel cancer cases among young people in England per year, while rates declined in those over the age of 50.
Doctor Alaisdar Scott, a gut doctor at Selph, warned that one of the key reasons for poor survival rates in the UK is due to the bowel cancer screening start age, which is considerably higher than many other countries.
People in England are invited for a bowel cancer screening from the age of 54, and every two years thereafter.
Although screening in England was reduced from 60 to 54 in November 2023, the alarming rates of diagnoses amongst younger people means doctors are calling for this age to be reduced as a matter of urgency.
Dr Scott commented: “There are two ways you can be diagnosed with bowel cancer. You might develop symptoms, such as a change in bowel habit, stomach pain, weight loss or blood in your stool. Alternatively, you might have no symptoms but be diagnosed with bowel cancer by screening.
“Unsurprisingly, you’re much more likely to have early stage bowel cancer and are 3 times more likely to survive if you’re diagnosed through screening.
“In England, you’ll generally be invited for a bowel cancer screening from the age of 54. Compare this to the United States where you’re invited from 45 or Japan where you’re invited from 40. The NHS is way behind other countries in this sense.”
However, there are steps you can take yourself to lower your risk of developing the disease. Dr Scott shared his top five tips to help prevent picking it up earlier on in life.
Exercise more
According to Dr Scott, there’s evidence that exercise can cut your risk of developing bowel cancer by about 20 percent. He said: “The more you exercise, the lower your risk. If you follow the current recommended physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity and two resistance training sessions per week, you can expect to lower your bowel cancer risk by about 10 percent.”
Eating a healthy diet
What you eat and drink ends up in your bowel so it’s probably not surprising that your diet has an impact on your risk of bowel cancer. Therefore, Dr Scott advised cutting back on alcohol and sugar while eating more wholegrains, fibre and dairy.
He continued: “The increasing incidence of bowel cancer in the under 50s is thought to be partly driven by higher alcohol and sugary-drink consumption amongst people born after 1960. We have strong evidence that an alcoholic drink a day will increase your risk of bowel cancer by around seven percent.
“Whole grains, fibre and dairy products have the strongest evidence for preventing bowel cancer. Data suggests that eating around 90g of whole grains (e.g. wheat, barley and rye) per day is associated with a 15 percent reduction in bowel cancer risk.”
Stopping smoking
Smoking increases both your risk of developing bowel cancer and dying from bowel cancer. “Sadly, in terms of absolute numbers of people affected, smoking is the largest preventable cause of bowel cancer,” Dr Scott said.
Losing weight
Being overweight or obese is an independent risk factor for developing bowel cancer. Dr Scott explained: “This means that carrying too much weight itself, and not simply reduced exercise or poor diet, is directly linked to developing bowel cancer. This is likely to be because excess fat causes inflammation which is one of the drivers of cancer.
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“The relationship between excess weight and bowel cancer affects men and women but is particularly strong in men. However, obesity in women is also strongly associated with endometrial and breast cancer so it’s equally important to avoid it in both sexes.”
Know your family history
He urged people to find out their family cancer history. Dr Scott added: “This is relevant not only to bowel cancer but also to breast and prostate cancer amongst others. It’s particularly important to know about any first degree relative who had bowel cancer and their age at diagnosis. The younger they were (particularly if under 50) the more likely that their genes had a part to play.
“If you do have a family history of bowel cancer it’s worth discussing this with your GP. Depending on your history, you may be eligible for earlier bowel cancer screening in the UK. Even if you’re not eligible for earlier screening, it may still be valuable to arrange for a screening test yourself.”
