Bowel cancer is often thought of as a rare and deadly disease that usually affects the “elderly”, those over the age of 60. But in fact, it has been on the rise among young people over the past few years.

Scientists warn that the use of antibiotics may be behind this trend, as a study found that taking antibiotics can increase the risk of developing bowel cancer by up to half (50%) in the age of 50.

Antibiotic use was also associated with an estimated 9% risk of colon cancer in those 50 and older.

“We found that exposure to antibiotics was associated with colon cancer among all age groups,” said Sarah Perrault, from the University of Aberdeen and first author on the study. This, along with many other factors related to diet and lifestyle, may contribute to the increase in colon cancer cases. among young people.

She added: “The use of antibiotics is very common, and it is important to note that not everyone who uses antibiotics will develop bowel cancer.”

Dr. Leslie Samuel, senior author and consultant oncologist at the NHS Grampian, said doctors are seeing more patients under the age of 50 with bowel cancer. Many of them do not anticipate risk factors such as heavy alcohol consumption or diabetes.”

“The gut microbiome includes a delicate balance of bacteria and disruption to that, whether it’s from lifestyle factors or from frequent use of antibiotics as seen here, can have very serious consequences,” Dr. Samuel noted.

The study compared antibiotic use and lifestyle factors in 40,000 people, some of whom had cancer.

The researchers found no association with rectal cancer, which affects the large intestine, such as bowel cancer.

Scientists from the University of Aberdeen, the NHS Grampian Center and Queen’s University Belfast were unable to quantify the amount of antibiotic use associated with the development of bowel cancer.

Beirut said the risk appeared to be the same after simple exposure to antibiotics.

The researchers believe the link exists because the antibiotics strip the gut of healthy bacteria, which then interfere with normal immune function.

This can lead to chronic inflammation and, in theory, increase the risk of cancer.

Birrout explained that antibiotics have a “harmful effect on the gut microbiota” and can lead to “permanent changes to the normal gut environment.”

“It’s important to note that diet, lifestyle, stress and many different factors can affect gut health, and antibiotic use is just one of those factors,” she said.

The study indicates that antibiotics are not carcinogenic, but changes in the gut flora that occur after their use, Medical News Today reported.

Therefore, researchers say that supplementation of probiotics, which promote gut health, can be beneficial to counteract the negative effects of medications.

Alice Davies, from Cancer Research UK, said: “At the moment, there is not enough evidence to say whether antibiotics definitely increase people’s risk.”

She added that people should follow their doctor’s advice if they are prescribed antibiotics.

Previously, there were only a few studies looking at the association of antibiotics and colon cancer and these studies were limited to older adults and showed mixed results.

The research team warned of the need to study the prescribing of antibiotics carefully. It comes against a backdrop of antibiotic resistance, one of the biggest threats to global health, as infections become more difficult to treat and develop into “superbugs”.

It is necessary to pay attention to the warning signs of bowel cancer, which include:

– Blood in stool

Change in toilet habits – frequent toilet use for example

Abdominal pain or swelling

Extreme tiredness

Unexplained weight loss

Other signs of bowel cancer also include feeling bloated, constipated, and not being able to pass wind.

Source: The Sun