Stress and anxiety may partly explain the rapid rise in colon cancer among young Americans, research suggests.
Researchers at Sichuan University in China have found that when exposed to frequent stress, many of the healthy bacteria living in the gut begin to die off, making it easier for cancer to invade.
Researchers found that when these bacteria die, tumors grow faster, leading to more aggressive, fast-growing colorectal cancers.
These findings come amid a rise in colon and rectal cancers among young people in the United States and United Kingdom, which experts had previously attributed to diet.
Colon cancer is expected to increase by 90% in people aged 20 to 34 by 2030, according to data from JAMA Surgery.
But a new field of science suggests that your body’s gut and microbiome may play a role.
At the same time, data shows that more young Americans and British people than ever before are experiencing constant stress, anxiety, and depression. Polls consistently show that young people are more stressed than any other demographic.
According to a 2023 study by the American Psychological Association, the average 18- to 34-year-old rates their stress level as a 6 out of 10, while people 65 and older rate their stress level as a 6 out of 10. It turned out to be slightly higher than 3 points.
The United States has the sixth highest incidence of early-onset cancer, at 87 per 100,000 people, and colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the fastest growing.
Diagnosis rates for people under age 50, classified as early-onset, are expected to increase by 90% from 2010 to 2030 for people ages 20 to 34.
Many factors are suspected to be responsible for the increase in the disease in young people. These include a diet of highly processed foods and energy drinks, obesity, the destruction of good bacteria in the gut, and more recently, high blood sugar levels.
Overuse of antibiotics is also thought to be a factor, but another study published in the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology found that studies examining this association reported conflicting results, and new findings turns out not to be the case. Statistically significant.
Antibiotics are highly effective and safe treatments for bacterial diseases when taken sparingly, and these drugs have revolutionized the way doctors fight infections.
But if consumed too often, it can wreak havoc on your body’s microbiome, the colony of healthy bacteria that lives in your gut.
So the Chinese team used a cocktail of antibiotics to test their theory.
The study was published at European Gastroenterology Week 2024, but it has not yet been published in a journal or peer-reviewed, so the full details of the study conducted in mice are not known.
Lead researcher Dr. Qing Li said, “In our study, we used an antibiotic cocktail to eradicate the gut microbiota, followed by fecal microbiota transplantation, to promote colorectal cancer progression. We investigated whether the intestinal microbiota is necessary for chronic stress.
Fecal microbiota transplantation is a scientific term that refers to when researchers transplant healthy poop into the bodies of people with unhealthy guts, with the goal of repopulating the intestinal tract with healthy bacteria.
Researchers supplemented mice with colon cancer with samples of healthy poop, exposed them to stress, and observed how the cancer progressed.
Lactobacillus plantarum naturally lives in the intestines and in some fermented foods. Researchers found that when intestinal cells lack them, tumors grow more easily.
Another group of mice with CRC was given antibiotics to kill bacteria in their gut, and the mice were exposed to stress.
In mice without gut bacteria, tumors grew faster than in mice that had a strong microbiome to protect them.
Additionally, even if no antibiotics were introduced into the system, researchers showed that stress alone can weaken the microbiome and make the body more susceptible to tumor infection.
Therefore, the study authors suggest that stress alone may predispose people to colorectal cancer and tumors.
One group of bacteria in particular appears to be particularly affected by antibiotics and stress. It’s lactic acid bacteria.
Old research from Trinity College in Ireland suggests that these bacteria can support the body’s immune system, protect against viruses and bacteria, and prevent damage to intestinal cells.
This bacterium is naturally present in many fermented foods and in the human body. When the body was exposed to antibiotics, lactic acid bacteria were completely depleted in both groups tested.
Dr. Lee said, “This depletion highlights its important role in maintaining intestinal health and its potential association with colorectal cancer progression under chronic stress.”
“Restoring beneficial bacteria, such as lactic acid bacteria, into the gut may strengthen the body’s natural defenses against colorectal cancer.”
Doctors may be able to use lactic acid bacteria to treat colorectal cancer in the future, Dr Lee suggested.
The above shows the symptoms and frequency for early-onset patients who develop colon cancer before age 50 and late-onset patients who develop cancer after this age.
According to research from Emory University, there are an estimated 100 trillion bacteria living in and around the digestive tract, which is more than the number of cells in the body.
They can keep the area lubricated, help the body break down food, and even produce neurotransmitters and vitamins the body needs to function.
A University of Missouri-Kansas City study found that the incidence of colorectal cancer increased by 500 percent in children ages 10 to 14 and by 333 percent in teens ages 15 to 19.
Among people aged 30 to 34, the infection rate rose by 71% to 7 cases per 100,000 people. The infection rate among people aged 35 to 39 also rose by 58% to 12 cases per 100,000 people.
The incidence of colorectal cancer between the ages of 10 and 44 is increasing in all age groups.
Colorectal cancer incidence increased by 500 percent in children ages 10 to 14 and by 333 percent in teens ages 15 to 19.
Among people aged 30 to 34, the infection rate rose by 71% to 7 cases per 100,000 people. The infection rate among people aged 35 to 39 also rose by 58% to 12 cases per 100,000 people.
