I’m a Doctor – These ‘Healthy’ Foods Could Be Fueling a Colon Cancer Crisis in Young People
Doctors are increasingly warning that processed foods may be contributing to the increase in colon cancer in young people.
While candy, chips and processed meats have been getting most of the attention lately, there is also a growing number of people who say they eat “healthy” but still get cancer.
Gastroenterologist Dr. Maria Abreu of the University of Miami, who recently received a grant to study this phenomenon, believes the problem is partly due to the amount of emulsifiers in modern foods, including those found in healthy products such as low-fat yogurt, diet salad dressings and peanut butter.
Common additives give dairy-free and low-fat foods a creamy texture, but they’ve been linked to gut inflammation and disruption of the gut microbiome — the collection of healthy bacteria in the body’s digestive tract.
Under normal circumstances, the gut microbiome protects the digestive tract from pathogens and infections and helps prevent and reduce intestinal inflammation.
When the microbiome is disrupted by medications or certain foods with additives, or when the digestive system is damaged by inflammation, a person is at increased risk of cancer.
Dr. Abreu told WSVN 7 News: ‘Something has changed in the microbiome, and that causes chronic inflammation in the (gastrointestinal) tract.
‘These ultra-processed foods cause a lot of noise in the microbial system.
“Things like added emulsifiers, creamy things, low-fat yogurt, and all those kinds of things can really change the microbiome in the gut dramatically.”
Commonly used emulsifiers include soy lecithin, sucralose, xanthan gum, carrageenan, maltodextrin, and polysorbate.
Popular ‘Light and Fit’ yoghurts, Greek yoghurts without sugar and ‘complete’ protein yoghurts often contain an emulsifier to give the products their creamy consistency.
In vegan and ‘light’ mayonnaises, emulsifiers are also listed on the ingredients list.
Cottage cheese, light salad dressings, pickles, breakfast cereals, dairy and meat substitutes and even chewing gum can also contain these potentially harmful ingredients.
The FDA has reviewed and approved these ingredients and has deemed them “generally safe.” However, there are some studies that have shown troubling connections.
A study found that carrageenan exposure was linked to intestinal ulcers and abnormal, possibly cancerous, tissue growth.
Another one study found that animals exposed to carrageenan developed stomach ulcers and intestinal inflammation.
While some studies have linked xanthan gum to health benefits such as weight loss and lower cholesterol, there is one set of the researchers found that xanthan gum consumption led to an altered gut microbiome.
A 2015 study found that people who consumed maltodextrin had fewer good bacteria in their gut and more bad bacteria, which can damage the gut and increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease.
And another one study Maltodextrin has been linked to chronic inflammatory conditions and infections and inflammation of the digestive system.
Several studies have been conducted into the relationship between the gut microbiome and colon cancer.
University of Miami gastroenterologist Dr. Maria Abreu believes that a contributing factor to the increase in colon cancer is a change in the body’s microbiome, which could be caused by the amount of emulsifiers in modern foods.
Data from JAMA Surgery shows that the number of colon cancer cases is expected to increase by 90 percent in people between the ages of 20 and 34.
A 2021 study concluded: ‘Because the colorectal region is a site where changes in the gut microbiota can directly influence the organs, it is assumed that colorectal cancer (bowel cancer) is more influenced by the gut microbiota than other tumors.
‘Research into the gut microbiome showed that (disruption of the microbiome) occurred more often in patients with colon cancer than in healthy people.’
A 2022 study stated: ‘The changes in the gut microbiome play an important role in the progression and development of colorectal cancer.’
Research has also shown that the gut microbiome can help with targeted treatment of colon cancer in some patients.
The US has the sixth highest rate of premature cancers (disease in people under 50), with 87 cases per 100,000 people under 50. Colorectal cancer is one of the fastest rising cases.
Researchers from the University of Missouri-Kansas City looked at colorectal cancer rates in people ages 10 to 44 over the past two decades and found that the number of cases had increased across all age groups.
Colorectal cancer rates increased by 500 percent among children aged 10 to 14 and by 333 percent among teenagers aged 15 to 19.
The figures rose by 71 percent among people aged 30 to 34 to seven cases per 100,000 people. Among people aged 35 to 39, the figures rose by 58 percent to 12 cases per 100,000 people.
Among these young cancer patients is 44-year-old Laurie Koshers from Virginia. Despite eating a healthy diet and avoiding processed foods, Ms. Koshers was diagnosed with stage 3 colon cancer in 2018.
Ms. Koshers is a lifelong vegetarian and an avid runner, so her cancer diagnosis came as a shock. And while experts increasingly blame ultra-processed foods, doctors say patients like Ms. Koshers stress that other factors could be behind the increase.