New study reveals biggest risk factor for colon cancer in under-35s – and it will shock you

Colon cancer cases are on the rise in young people, alarming experts and leaving doctors scrambling to find answers as to why.

Now, a study published by a team of international researchers in the journal Neoplasia provides new data.

The study looked at “very early-onset colorectal cancers” — defined as a diagnosis before age 35 — and found three main risk factors.

A diet deficient in calcium was considered the highest risk factor, linked to approximately one in five colon cancer deaths in young adults.

Alcohol consumption was determined to be the second greatest risk factor, while obesity was determined to be the third.

Coincidentally, a study published earlier this month suggested a link between consuming a large glass of milk per day with a lower risk of colon cancer in women in particular.

For the study, the team used data from the Global Burden of Disease and found that global cases of colon cancer in people under 35 almost doubled between 1990 and 2019 from 21,874 to 41,545.

In those under 35, the disease appears to disproportionately affect men. In 2019, the data showed that there were 25,432 cases in men, while there were only 16,113 cases in women.

Global deaths also rose during that time period analyzed from 11,445 to 15,486, according to the study, which linked a diet low in dairy and calcium, alcohol use and high body mass index as “major contributors to deaths”.

Surprisingly, lack of exercise and smoking were said to have “contributed less to death”.

Experts have also examined environmental triggers, ultra-processed foods or certain diets as causes for colon cancer, which is diagnosed in 107,320 Americans each year.

While usually considered a disease that disproportionately affects older populations, colon cancer—which causes rectal bleeding, abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits, weight loss, anemia, and fatigue—has increased in all age groups.

“It’s been very alarming for all of us,” Dr. Coral Olazagasti, an assistant professor of clinical medical oncology at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

“In the past, you would think that cancer was a disease of the elderly population. But now we’ve seen trends in recent years where people are being diagnosed with cancer earlier and earlier.