Understanding the rise in early onset colorectal cancer

Additionally, people are consuming fewer fruits and vegetables, which leads to an insufficient intake of fiber, folate, and calcium.These dietary changes have been accompanied by a more sedentary lifestyle, higher body mass indexes (BMIs), and a greater alcohol consumption.The new study is the first large-scale inquiry into the possible associations between early onset colorectal cancer and factors such as these, as well as a few others.The researchers analyzed data from 13 population-based studies from three sources: the Colon Cancer Family Registry, the Colorectal Transdisciplinary Study, and the Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium.One dataset focused on 3,767 cases of colorectal cancer in people under 50 years of age, along with 4,049 control individuals. The sample was restricted to people of European descent.The researchers found that early onset colorectal cancer was most closely associated with several factors:The researchers also found that low fiber consumption was more closely associated with rectal cancer than with colon cancer.In addition, the study found links between early onset colorectal cancer and an insufficient intake of folate, fiber, and calcium in the model that minimally adjusted for age, sex, family history of bowel cancer, and total energy intake.Once these factors were assessed in a fuller, nongenetic factor model, which included all potentially confounding factors, such as red meat consumption, smoking, and alcohol intake, the associations reduced.