Why are young people getting colon cancer? | Dr. Andy Chan

ZOE Science & Nutrition

ZOE

Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Education, Science

4.6 • 4.9K Ratings

🗓️ 25 July 2024

⏱️ 64 minutes

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Summary

Rates of colorectal cancer have declined in people over 65 but doubled among people under 50 in the last few decades. By 2030 it’s expected to be the leading cancer-related death in this age group. In today’s episode, gastrointestinal cancer and prevention specialist, Dr. Andy Chan, explains how changes in the gut microbiome could be to blame. Dr. Chan discusses the critical role your diet plays in cancer risk, how your gut microbiome can influence the development of colon cancer and the steps you can take to lower your risk. Dr. Andy Chan is a Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Program Director for Gastroenterology training at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn how your body responds to food 👉 zoe.com/podcast for 10% off 🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30 *Naturally high in copper which contributes to normal energy yielding metabolism and the normal function of the immune system Follow ZOE on Instagram. Timecodes: 00:00 Introduction 04:00 What is colon cancer? 05:20 How does cancer develop? 08:50 How common is colon cancer? 11:00 Demographics and shifting trends 14:00 Leading cause of cancer death for men under 50 15:32 Why are cancer rates rising in younger people 17:10 The role of diet and obesity 19:40 Does alcohol have an impact? 21:10 What is metabolic health and why does it matter? 25:10 Gut health and colon cancer 27:50 Evidence from animal studies 33:43 Why overuse of antibiotics can be harmful 38:15 Screening recommendations and methods 44:40 Can changing your diet reduce risk? 49:50 Should we avoid red meat? 53:28 Does physical activity reduce risk? Books by our ZOE Scientists: Every Body Should Know This by Dr Federica Amati Food For Life by Prof. Tim Spector Fibre Fuelled by Dr Will Bulsiewicz Mentioned in today’s episode: Influence of the Gut Microbiome, Diet, and Environment on Risk of Colorectal Cancer, from Gastroenterology Reducing Risk for Colorectal Cancer, from Center for Disease Control & Prevention Colorectal cancer statistics, 2017, from CA Cancer Journal Association Between the Sulfur Microbial Diet and Risk of Colorectal Cancer, from Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fusobacterium nucleatum and colorectal cancer: From phenomenon to mechanism, from Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology Have feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here. Episode transcripts are available here.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome to Zoe, science and nutrition, where world-leading scientists explain how their research can improve your health.
0:07.0	Today, colon cancer, also known as bowel or colorectal cancer. We're discussing the causes, the links to gut health, and what to do to reduce your risk.
0:27.0	Let's start with some good news.
0:29.0	Today, fewer people over the age of 50 are dying of bowel cancer.
0:33.9	But unfortunately this isn't the whole story.
0:37.2	Alarmingly for younger people, cases are rising.
0:41.1	And by 2030, the American Cancer Society expects that colon cancer will be the leading cause of cancer-related death for under 50s.
0:50.0	Today's guest is a Harvard Medical School professor and program director for
0:57.1	Gastroentorology training at Massachusetts General Hospital.
1:01.5	Zoe are also lucky to have him on our scientific advisory board.
1:05.0	In this episode, Dr. Andy Chan tells us why changes in our gut may be putting us at risk and what we can do about it.
1:16.4	Andy, thank you for joining me today.
1:18.8	Pleasure to be here, Jonathan.
1:20.5	So we have a tradition here at Zuri, which we have intentionally designed to be really hard for professors and academics,
1:30.0	where we have a quick-fire round of questions from our listeners
1:33.6	and we have these very strict rules Andy you can say yes or no
1:38.2	or if you absolutely have to you can have up to a one sentence answer.
1:42.0	Are you willing to give it a go?
1:43.4	Okay, I'm giving my best.
1:45.4	All right, brilliant. Is colon cancer a risk for people under 50?
1:51.6	Yes. Is there a link between colon cancer and your gut
1:56.6	microbiome? Yes. Can inflammation increase the risk of cancer? Yes.
	...

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