The trendy diet that researchers suspect could fuel colon cancer… as cases rise under the age of 50
For years they have criticized meat lovers and desperately tried to convert people to veganism.
But according to new research, switching to a plant-based diet could actually harm your health.
Scientists claim that adding meat and dairy proteins to your diet may help prevent tumors linked to colon cancer.
Tests on mice, by researchers in Japannow show that a diet containing these molecules could reduce the risk of tumor growth in the small intestine.
The scientists, who today described the findings as “important”, also warned people against deliberately restricting themselves to such foods to combat bloating or to control weight, if they do not have allergies.
Antigens in foods, including milk, peanuts, and eggs, have long been known to trigger allergic reactions. And even in people who aren’t allergic, these antigens are often recognized by the immune system as foreign substances.
In the study, scientists used mice with a genetic mutation that makes them susceptible to developing tumors in the intestines – similar to the condition familial adenomatous polyposis, which occurs in humans and increases the risk of colon cancer.
The group was divided into two. One group was given a diet without meat and milk proteins, while the other group was given a normal diet for six weeks.
Those on a normal diet developed fewer tumors in their small intestines. But both had the same number in their large intestines.
After adding albumin, a protein found in meat, to the protein-free program, the researchers saw the same tumor-suppressing effects on the small intestine.
They also found that the diets affected the number of T cells — a type of immune “fighter” cell. Mice that ate a plant-based diet registered fewer T cells in their small intestine.
Writing in the diary, Frontiers in immunologyscientists suggest that this underscores the importance of dietary protein in maintaining a healthy immune system.
People without serious gastrointestinal problems or allergies sometimes choose a diet without dairy or meat, seeing it as a healthy way to lose weight or reduce bloating and inflammation, the researchers said.
Colon cancer can cause you to have blood in your stool, a change in your bowel movements, a lump in your bowel that can cause an obstruction. Some people also suffer from weight loss as a result of these symptoms
“The new findings suggest that this may be risky and emphasize that these types of diets should not be followed without a doctor’s recommendation.”
Interest in a plant-based diet has increased dramatically in recent years. Vegans call this for ethical, environmental or health reasons.
It is almost impossible to determine the exact number of vegans in the UK.
However, a recent survey found that around 600,000 people follow a plant-based diet, while another 2021 study claimed that almost a third of Britons use alternative milks.
The latest government figures show that around 2.4 million adults in the UK are living with a food allergy, with hospital admissions for serious reactions having more than tripled in the past 20 years.
Children with allergies are at greater risk of severe reactions because they are smaller and small amounts of allergens can cause more severe reactions.
The findings came just months after experts raised ongoing concerns about an “epidemic” of bowel cancer among young people.
Analysis by the Bowelbabe Fund, which was set up in memory of Deborah James (pictured), has found that if current trends continue, the number of bowel cancer cases will rise from the current 42,800 to 47,700.
Actor Chadwick Boseman is one of the celebrities who has died of premature cancer. Medically, it is defined as a case of the disease that strikes someone under the age of 50. In the case of the Black Panther star, it was colon cancer.
According to Cancer Research UK, there are around 1,800 cases of small bowel cancer, cancer that originates in the small intestine, in the UK each year.
Data shows that the disease has increased by 50 percent over the past 30 years among people in their 20s, 30s and 40s, or people with cancer that occurred at a young age.
Oncologist Dr Shivan Sivakumar from the University of Birmingham previously described the situation as an ‘epidemic’.
He said: ‘There is currently an epidemic of cancer in young people (under 50 years of age).
‘The cause of this is unknown, but we are seeing that more and more patients are developing abdominal cancer.’
Experts are not sure what is causing this phenomenon. Theories include our increasing need for junk food and a simultaneous increase in obesity, which affects the health of our digestive system.
However, cancer specialists have told MailOnline that this does not explain the increase in the disease among young people, many of whom are perfectly fit and healthy.
One of the most recognized victims of this trend is Deborah James, also known as the “bowel babe.” She was diagnosed at just 35 and raised millions for charity in her final days in 2022.
James spoke about her intense training routine and how she was in the best shape of her life when she was diagnosed with the disease.
Male celebrities have also been affected by the disease. Black Panther actor Chadwick Boseman died at the age of 43 from colon cancer.
Analysis suggests that the number of deaths from bowel cancer in the UK will increase by 2,500 a year between now and 2040.
Meanwhile, the number of people in the UK diagnosed with the disease is set to increase by around a tenth over the same period.
Currently, nearly 17,000 Britons die from bowel cancer each year, and only half of those diagnosed are expected to survive ten years after diagnosis.