People are being urged to avoid excessive consumption of two popular foods after scientists discovered a link between them and deadly diseases. Eating red meat and sugar may increase the risk of developing bowel cancer, according to a new study.
The disease is the most common type of cancer in the UK, with more than 44,000 cases diagnosed each year.
The disease is also particularly deadly, accounting for the second-leading number of cancer deaths each year.
And in recent years, the number of young people being diagnosed with the disease has increased, raising further concerns among the medical community.
Between the early 1990s and 2018, the number of adults aged 25 to 49 diagnosed with bowel cancer (also known as colorectal cancer) increased by 22 percent in the UK.
The exact cause of this trend is unknown, but it’s hypothesized that diet may be to blame.
And these latest findings support the idea that what we eat contributes significantly to our risk of colon cancer.
The study, presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) annual meeting, also found that people under the age of 50 who were diagnosed with colorectal cancer had reduced levels of citrate in their bodies.
Citric acid is produced during the conversion of food into energy, and levels were found to be lower in older adults compared to those diagnosed with colorectal cancer.
“In our research, we used a technique called metabolomics — studying the components of the body’s breakdown and production — to look for differences in colon cancer in younger and older people who develop the disease,” the study’s lead author, Dr. Sunil Kamath, a gastrointestinal oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic, explained in an interview with Medical News Today.
“Metabolomics measures how each individual interacts with environmental exposures such as diet and air quality, so it’s a way to bridge the gap between our genetically determined nature and our exposure-driven environment.”
“We found that a carbohydrate breakdown product called citrate was found in higher concentrations in older colon cancer patients compared to younger colorectal cancer patients.”
The study included 170 participants diagnosed with CRC, of which 66 had early-onset CRC and 104 had average-onset CRC.
The scientists identified several metabolites whose levels differed between the two groups, including citrate and cholesterol.
The researchers found that younger-onset CRCs had significant changes in metabolic pathways related to carbohydrate and protein metabolism compared with average-onset CRCs.
These findings suggest that factors leading to excess energy intake, such as excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and red meat and obesity, may be risk factors for the development of colorectal cancer at an early age.
Dr Cammaert added: “While these findings are somewhat preliminary and require further research, they suggest that a focus on reducing obesity rates and reducing the intake of red meat and sugar in the diet may help to prevent cancer, particularly colon cancer.”
“It’s important to note that this doesn’t mean that ‘sugar promotes cancer’ for people who already have cancer, but that in healthy people without cancer, reducing their sugar intake may help prevent cancer from developing in the first place.”
To reduce your risk of bowel cancer, the NHS advises:
Eat a healthy diet that includes at least five servings of fruit and vegetables a day, be active regularly, lose weight if you are overweight, quit smoking, reduce your alcohol intake, and reduce your intake of red and processed meats.
