Colorectal surgeon shares five foods that could increase risk of bowel cancer

A colorectal surgeon gave a shocking insight into the rising number of colorectal cancer cases she is witnessing – and revealed the five foods linked to the alarming statistics.

Dr Karen Zaghiyan (@drkarenzaghiyan_official) uses her TikTok account to provide information and support to those affected by the disease, and her latest video has proven a real eyeopener for some.

"We're seeing an alarming rise in young onset colorectal cancer while nobody totally knows why exactly we're seeing this, a lot of people are suggesting - and the research shows that perhaps it may be related to what we're eating," she warned.

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Dr Zaghiyan proceeded to list each food and the dangers they pose to our bodies.

Red meat

"This includes beef, veal, lamb, pork - there's about an 18% increased risk of colorectal cancer who regularly consume red meat," she reported. "We don't know of a safe amount, and if you're charring your meat - i.e. cooking it over a flame - that adds even more risk."

Processed meat

"These include lunch meats, deli meats, bacon, pepperoni, sausage - any of these are processed meats and they increase your risk of colorectal cancer by 15% to 35% if you're eating one serving per day," Dr Zaghiyan advised.

She added it was a case of "the less you eat, the better", although there is no defined safe amount to use as a guide.

Sugary drinks

Not a food of course, but no less concerning, Dr Zaghiyan warned "sugar-sweetened beverages" such as juices and carbonated sodas are artificially sugared with high-fructose corn syrup - sucrose fructose.

"Consumption of these has been associated with the development of colorectal cancer," she added. "A study found that two servings a day of sugared beverages doubles your risk of colorectal cancer versus those who had it less than once a week."

Alcohol

"This includes beer and wine and is particularly magnified in individuals who consume alcohol on a daily basis," Dr Zaghiyan cautioned. Again however, no "safe amount" has been defined.

She continued: "Alcohol not only increases your risk of colorectal cancer, but it also increases your risk of multiple other cancers."

Ultra-processed foods

Explaining she was "lumping these all together," Dr Zaghiyan said these include anything that comes pre-packaged and "doesn't exist in nature". She highlighted chips, cereals, packaged baked goods and many store-bought breads as prime examples.

"They all fall into this category," she said. "The reason for the increased association with various gut conditions as well as colorectal cancer is due to the existence of emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, and various additional additives like food dyes that come in these foods."

Dr Zaghiyan closed by revealing the data based on these foods is coming at medics "from all angles" with respect of each of their different ingredients.

"It's a huge list and it includes a lot of foods that are kind of hard to completely omit," she confessed. "However, if all of us increase the amount of whole foods - fruit, vegetables, whole grains - that we ingest on a day-to-day basis to minimise all of these categories, I think all of us can help take a huge step forward in reducing our risk of colorectal cancer."