New Science: Colon Cancer in Teens Has Tripled in the Last 20 Years

My friend Amy told me today about a friend of hers who was diagnosed with cancer and died just two weeks later. To my dismay, Amy also told me that a mutual friend of ours lost both her daughter-in-law to brain cancer and her daughter-in-law’s father (also to cancer) this month.

And then there’s dear Jim Meehan, a medical doctor and freedom fighter, who died of cancer ten days ago. On June 15, 2024 at 4:40 a.m., according to his family. He was 59 years old.

Since the warp speed roll-out of mRNA vaccines, doctors have seen a surge in warp- speed cancers—unusually aggressive cancers that are hard to control and often lethal.

Now a new study reports that cases of colon cancer in teens have more than tripled in the past 20 years.

Typically diagnosed in adults

My friend’s husband thought his back ache was pregnancy sympathy pain since his partner was expecting their first child.

The back pain and digestive upset turned out to be colon cancer.

He died before their baby turned two. Sean was only 38 years old.

It used to be that colorectal cancer was almost always diagnosed in adults over the age of 50.

That’s no longer the case.

Colorectal cancer cases have tripled among teens since 1999, and gone up in every age bracket studied

According to a press release, this new study was presented at a scientific meeting in Washington, D.C., Digestive Disease Week, last month.

When the researchers looked at cases of cancer from 1999 to 2020, they found that cases of colorectal cancer rose 500% among children ages 10 to 14; over 300% among teens between the ages of 15 and 19, and 185% among young adults, ages 20 to 24.

The researchers also found that cases among adults ages 30 to 34 rose 71%; and cases among adults ages 35 to 39 increased 58%.

The actual numbers are as follows:

Ages 10 to 14: In 1999, .1 per 100,000 were diagnosed, compared to .6 per 100,000 in 2020.

Ages 15 to 19: In 1999, .3 per 100,000 were diagnosed, compared to 1.3 per 100,000 in 2020.

Ages 20 to 24: In 1999, .7 per 100,000 were diagnosed, compared to 2 per 100,000 in 2020.

Ages 30 to 34: In 2020, 6.5 per 100,000 were diagnosed, a 71% increase.

Ages 40 to 44: In 2020, 20 per 100,000 were diagnosed, a 37% increase.

While the actual risk in any of these age brackets is relatively low, the fact that this cancer is on the rise is disturbing indeed.

Why is colon cancer on the rise among youth?

According to the press release, “Risk factors include a family history of inflammatory bowel disease or colorectal cancer … obesity, tobacco use, alcohol consumption and dietary habits such as low fiber intake, consumption of processed meats or sugar-sweetened beverages and a high-fat diet.”

In addition, “Sedentary lifestyle, the presence of bacteria that tend to cause tumors, antibiotic usage, and dietary additives are potential, but not firmly established, contributors to colorectal cancer risk.”

According to colon cancer survivor, Chris Wark, nutrition and other lifestyle factors are actually the main culprits of colorectal cancer in younger adults and teens.

Wark, who wrote an excellent book called Chris Beat Cancer: A Comprehensive Plan to Healing Naturally, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer when he was just 26 years old.

After surgery to remove the tumor in his colon, Wark refused chemotherapy and other traditional cancer treatments. Instead, he healed himself naturally by making massive—truly massive—dietary and lifestyle improvements. That was over 20 years ago and Wark has been healthy and cancer-free ever since.

Five (5) key ways to help prevent colon and other cancers:

1. Avoid carcinogens and any toxic chemicals, medications, or vaccinations that are known to cause cancer, disrupt the endocrine system, or compromise the immune system.

2. Make sure to engage in daily exercise as well as to incorporate movement into your daily routine. Humans don’t fare well when they sit all day long, as so many of us do.

3. Stop all refined sugar consumption and avoiding highly processed sweeteners like high fructose corn syrup. This means, among other things, never drinking conventional soda again. Many conventional sodas contains caramel color, among other unhealthy ingredients. Caramel color has been found to be contaminated with carcinogens.

4. Eat lots of organically grown vegetables and fruits. A high-fiber diet insures regular defecating and we humans should be defecating at least two or three times a day.

5. Never take antibiotics again. There are many natural alternatives. For example, you can use garlic mullein oil to treat an ear infection (more information about that in this post about natural alternatives to Tylenol); goldenseal to help dry out an umbilical cord or other wound to avoid a bacterial infection; and And if the young people in your life stop consuming sugar and start consuming healthy, pesticide and herbicide-free high fiber foods, you’ll likely find that they no longer need to take antibiotics.

“It’s harder to change someone’s eating habits than to change their religion.” ~Dr. Sidney Baker, M.D.

All of this is easier said than done.

Dr. Sidney Baker is one of the founders of functional medicine. He was also Dr. Mark Hyman’s mentor. He’s a medical doctor known for being able to help cure patients that other doctors had given up on.

When I interviewed Dr. Baker several years ago, he said something I’ll never forget: getting someone to change their eating habits is harder than getting them to change their religion.

What’s more, teens will be teens.

They want to do things their way.

And their way is usually going to the Micky D’s drive-through, chugging down Cokes, and chowing on chips so brightly colored they stain your fingers red.

(Those food dyes are no bueno for your health, as discussed in this excellent report, “A Rainbow of Risks.”)

So here’s the million dollar question: how can we reverse this terrible upward colorectal cancer trend and get our teens and young adults to eat healthier food and make other cancer-busting lifestyle changes?