Truth behind terrifying rise of bowel cancer in people under 50: I’m an expert and these are ALL the potential causes of the disease… and the daily habit you must ditch now

Earlier this month, Dawson’s Creek star James Van Der Beek died after a two-year battle with bowel cancer.

The disease has long been associated with old age, but Van Der Beek was just 48-years-old.

Alarmingly, he is not the first young celebrity to die of the disease in recent years.

British broadcaster, journalist and campaigner Dame Deborah James passed away in 2022 at the age of 40-years-old. She was diagnosed with bowel cancer at 35.

Studies show that cases of early-age bowel cancer – where it occurs before the age of 50 – are rapidly rising in most parts of the world.

In Britain, those under 49 today are around 50 per cent more likely to develop bowel cancer than people of the same age in the early 1990s.

Scientists are now racing to find the cause of this surge.

One of the most prominent of those is Professor Sarah Berry, a nutritional science expert at King’s College London, who is leading a £20million study, called Prospect, hoping to solve the mystery.

Professor Berry and her team plan in the coming months to begin recruiting thousands of young, healthy Britons to the Prospect study. The diet, lifestyle and genetics of these participants will be logged and they will then be closely monitored by the researchers for years.

The hope will be to work out a shared characteristic between those who develop bowel cancer before the age of 50. 

When scientists have that knowledge, experts say, they might be able to prevent early-age bowel cancer from occurring in the first place.

However, Professor Berry argues that patients do not need to wait until the conclusion of the Prospect trial to begin making lifestyle changes that can slash their risk of developing bowel cancer.

Because there is already a long list of suspected causes of the disease, which experts say patients can take steps to avoid today.

‘While we don’t know exactly what is behind this rise in young people developing bowel cancer, we do know the habits that raise the risk later in life,’ say Professor Berry.

‘Around 50 to 60 per cent of bowel cancer cases are preventable, so there are changes that people can make to reduce their risk.’

Here, Professor Sarah Berry reveals all the possible triggers of early-age bowel cancer, and what you can do to avoid them…

Processed meat

One of the best-known potential causes of bowel cancer is regularly consuming processed meat, says Professor Berry.

These meats – such as bacon, ham, sausages and salami – are classed as carcinogens by the World Health Organisation.

Studies show that eating 50 grams a day of processed meat (roughly 2 rashers of bacon) raises the risk of bowel cancer by 18 per cent.

Experts say this is due to the presence of chemicals called nitrates in processed meat. These are used to preserve products.

‘We know that a diet high in processed meat significantly raises the risk of bowel cancer,’ says Professor Berry.

‘This is one of the key changes people can make to mitigate their risk.’

Sugary drinks 

Sugary drinks are another well-established risk when it comes to early-age bowel cancer, according to Professor Berry.

These beverages, such as fizzy drinks and juices, are regularly consumed by young Britons.

One 2022 report found that one in eight adolescents in the UK drink a fizzy sugary drink at least once every day.

Professor Berry argues this could be raising their risk of cancer.

In 2020, a major US study, which tracked the health of nearly 100,000 nurses, found that women who consumed two sugar-sweetened beverages a day were twice as likely to develop early-age bowel cancer as those who consumed one a week.

‘Sugar-sweetened drinks are up there with processed meats as a known risk factor for bowel cancer,’ says Professor Berry.

‘And we know that consumption of these drinks amongst young people in the UK is on the rise.’ 

Ultra-processed food

Artificial ingredients found in supermarkets products are fast-becoming one of the leading possible causes of the bowel cancer surge, says Professor Berry.

Known as ultra-processed foods (UPFs), these are chemicals that are not found in kitchens, such as emulsifiers, flavourings and stabilisers.

They are often used in ready-meals, as well as sauces, spreads, chocolate, fizzy drinks and bread.

UPFs make up around 40 per cent of the British diet – one of the highest levels in Europe.

Concerningly, last year, a Chinese study of female nurses under the age of 50 found that those who diets high in UPFs were significantly more likely to develop bowel polyps – abnormal growths in the bowels that can become cancerous.

Experts say it is possible that these chemicals – particularly emulsifiers – irritate the lining of the gut, raising the risk of cancerous changes.

However, Professor Berry says, more research is needed to prove this link.

‘There is also some evidence that additives found in ultra-processed foods could inflame the bowel and raise the risk of cancer,’ says Professor Berry. ‘We don’t know that for certain but it’s something that needs to be investigated.

‘It could also be due to the fact that UPFs lack crucial nutrients in them that are good for the gut.’ 

Not eating enough fibre 

An extremely common nutrient deficiency may also be to blame for the rise in early-age bowel cancer cases, according to Professor Berry.

Less than a tenth of Britons are consuming enough fibre – the nutrient found in certain vegetables, nut, pulses, legumes and whole grains.

The NHS recommends consuming 30 grams of fibre a day – which is roughly around five portions of fruit and veg, two portions of wholegrains (like wholegrain bread), one portion of beans or lentils and a handful of nuts or seeds.

Meanwhile studies show that, for every extra 10 grams of fibre patients consume on a daily basis, they reduce their risk of bowel cancer by 10 per cent.

Professor Berry says that, while scientists are still unclear why fibre has such a strong impact on bowel cancer rates, one theory is that it protects the gut from other cancers.

‘Fibre bulks out our poo,’ says Professor Berry. ‘This could dilute any harmful cancer-causing chemicals passing through the gut, reducing the damage to the intestine lining.’

Drinking alcohol without meals 

Drinking alcohol on an empty stomach could raise the risk of bowel cancer, says Professor Berry.

Alcohol is already known to raise the risk of cancer. Studies show that people who consume more than 14 units of alcohol a week – roughly two drinks a day – are 25 per cent more likely to develop bowel cancer than those who have just one a week.

However, experts say there is emerging evidence that drinking without a meal could further increase the chances of getting the deadly disease.

In 2023, a study of nearly 350,000 UK drinkers, found that those who regularly consumed alcohol without food had a 10 per cent greater risk of bowel cancer than those who did not.

Professor Berry argues this may be because food absorbs alcohol, meaning there is less damage to the gut lining.

‘Total alcohol intake is an indicator of this disease, as is smoking,’ she says. ‘But it does appear that having it with a meal is less harmful than consuming it in isolation.’

A common gut problem 

An underlying health condition that affects half a million Britons could be triggering many early-age cases of bowel cancer, says Professor Berry.

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which triggers debilitating stomach pains, raises the risk of the cancer by around 600 per cent, according to a recent Swedish study.

IBD refers to two conditions, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

Crohn’s disease is an incurable condition in which parts of the digestive system become inflamed. The damage can be extensive, affecting the entire digestive tract from the mouth to the back passage.

It often causes severe pain, diarrhoea, exhaustion and weight loss. Crohn’s can also trigger pain in the joints, anus and eyes.

Ulcerative colitis is similar, however, the inflammation only occurs in the gut. Symptoms include diarrhoea, blood in the poo, and regularly needing to go to the toilet.

Doctors aren’t sure what triggers these problems, but it is thought to be linked to an overactive immune system – fighter cells that are supposed to attack harmful toxins mistakenly destroy healthy tissue in the gut.

In 2021, a study published in the British Medical Journal found that patients who have diets high in ultra-processed foods are more likely to develop IBD.

Experts say that the damaged inflicted on the gut by IBD could trigger cancerous changes.

‘The Swedish data is really quite striking,’ says Professor Berry. ‘It’s possible that the persistent inflammation in the intestine could lead to cancer.’

Sitting down for too long

Regularly spending long periods sitting down may also be triggering bowel cancer, says Professor Berry.

Studies show that people who live sedantry lifestyles are more prone to the disease.

One 2023 study, looking at 430,000 Britons, found that those who spend five hours or more a day watching TV were 30 per cent more likely to get bowel cancer, compared to those who watched less than an hour a day.

However, experts say this trend may also apply to those who spend most of their working day sitting at a desk – around half of the British workforce.

A 2011 Australian study concluded that people who spent more than 10 years working at a desk were twice as likely to develop bowel cancer, as those who had done jobs involving regular physical activity.

Experts say the link may be due to higher rates of obesity and diabetes – the chronic blood sugar condition caused by inactivity and poor diet – amongst office workers.

‘There’s an emerging relationship between bowel cancer and the number of hours people spend sitting down,’ says Professor Berry.

‘It’s something else that we want to look at carefully.’