Colorectal Cancer Is Rising Among the Young, Even Kids and Teens(gizmodo.com)
29 pointsby gumby4 hours ago2 comments
  • Aboutplants3 hours ago
    How much of an impact does sitting for hours on end effect your risk of colon cancer? I’m not talking about lack of exercise but the physical act of sitting for 6+ hours a day, regardless of whether you get “adequate” exercise?

    As someone with Crohn’s disease, I am sensitive to sitting for extended periods and its impact on my internals near my end. I’m sure there is some sort of effect, just curious if there has been any research

    • peterbecich2 hours ago
      Has this factor really changed much in the past century?
      • unrented7977an hour ago
        Yes, unequivocally.
      • 2 hours ago
        undefined
    • Fire-Dragon-DoL3 hours ago
      Same question: I exercise and eat healthy, but I sit for long stretches
      • onemoresoop2 hours ago
        It's probably not too healthy to sit for too long. If unavoidable, eg. in schools, best thing is to periodically stand up for a while before contining with more sitting...
        • Fire-Dragon-DoL2 hours ago
          No I work from home and could definitely get up, but when I get in the zone I literally forget, and getting up is often detrimental to my focus.

          Doesn't mean I can't do anything for it though.

  • swingandamiss3 hours ago
    > hypotheses as to why rates are rising in younger people, including processed foods, higher obesity rates, and certain infections

    Lack of moving/walking with long periods of sitting, being overweight, no fruits or vegetables and too much highly processed food/junk. It appears to be somewhat self inflicted, but it's hard to live a better life for most as the above is just the norm now.

    • gwbas1c2 hours ago
      It's too early to jump to conclusions, it could be anything: A chemical used in bottles (for babies), traces of a chemical in infant formula, something in toothpaste, medicine, ect.

      Given the rise in colon cancer in middle-aged adults, I suspect the two (teenage and middle aged colon cancer) are related.

      The most ironic would be if it's caused by trace amounts of a fancy new pesticide used on a less-popular fruit or vegtable.

      • jacobolus43 minutes ago
        I would expect a significant proportion to be caused by persistent viral infections. Hopefully at some point in the future everyone gets a multi-strain HPV vaccine, and hopefully researchers continue to develop vaccines for other similar viruses.
      • mejutocoan hour ago
        Maybe vaping
        • superzean hour ago
          I really hope not.
    • kelseyfrogan hour ago
      Is this medical advice?
      • lossyalgoan hour ago
        I would hope/assume all doctors would recommend less sitting/more walking as well as eating more fruits & veggies and less ultra-processed foods.

        I would also assume it's obvious to most readers here that GP's guidance don't necessarily have to be the reasons for increased prevalence of colorectal cancer, but they would at the last help decrease chances of other health-related issues.

        • kelseyfrogan hour ago
          It sounds like we don't actually have evidence that the GPs claim was true - that they made it up.

          It's fine that walking and moving is healthy, but it's a motte and bailey to claim that sitting is a cause of colrectal cancer and retreat to the motte that walking and moving is more healthy in general. Such a retreat doesn't exactly lend credibility to the original claim; it subtracts from it.

          If you're ok with it, I'd like to stay focused on the claim: That lack of moving/walking with long periods of sitting, being overweight, no fruits or vegetables and too much highly processed food/junk is the cause of increased colrectal cancer.

          • lossyalgo24 minutes ago
            I don't think GP is making that claim, rather, they are claiming that IF the hypotheses in the article (with 2 linked sources) are in fact the causes, then it will be difficult to change those things.

            > ...but it's hard to live a better life for most as the above is just the norm now.

    • EA-31672 hours ago
      Those are certainly factors, but it’s madness to think they’re the only ones. We live in an increasingly polluted world, we truly don’t know what the long-term impact of ubiquitous microplastic, PFAS, and so on has. I’m sure increasingly unhealthy and low fiber diets don’t help, but I’d be skeptical of that as a full “explanation”.

      Sometimes trends occur due to complex circumstances we can’t pin down exactly, and it’s wildly unhelpful to pretend that you have a solution to a problem that boils down to, “wwweellllll they did it to themselves I guess.”

    • therealpygon2 hours ago
      Ah yes. Kids are getting cancer “because they are fat and lazy”. How quaint.
    • williamtell3 hours ago
      Sure but it is rather paradoxical as healthy lifestyle things are far more available like every other consumer option. There's just the higher probability of choosing the more immediately satisfying new choices and/or of envying those who do.
      • estearum2 hours ago
        “System prefers lower-energy state” is not paradoxical at all.

        It’s just about the most fundamental law in the entire universe, in fact.

        • williamtell2 hours ago
          I didn't say what people prefer is a paradox. There is more availability and use of health related choices that violate this "law" but much more use of things that satisfy it. It would take a hell of a lot of healthy living to make up for cancer rates in 10% of the population having all the options and a dopamine addiction. Pretty remarkable the cancer rates are as low as they are.