Early signs of bowel cancer in young people

Colorectal cancer is common in older people, especially over 65 years old. However, the incidence of the disease in people under 50 has increased steadily since the 1990s. Dr. Joel Mason, a gastroenterologist at Tufts University, said that besides rectal bleeding or changes in bowel habits, Iron deficiency anemia is a common symptom of this disease.

“I don’t want to worry young people, but this trend is very worrying, we need to warn people to pay more attention to the symptoms,” he said.

According to research, 30% to 75% of colorectal cancer patients have anemia and iron deficiency. Dr. Waqqas Tai, a cancer specialist in Brooklyn, said that a normal, healthy man will not experience anemia. For women who are not on a very heavy menstrual cycle, hemoglobin should remain at normal levels. So when a “seemingly healthy” person has iron deficiency anemia, they should consider a colonoscopy.

In research published in Frontiers in Immunology, German scientists said that reduced iron intake and systemic iron concentration are related to the pathogenesis of colorectal cancer. However, too much iron is just as dangerous as iron deficiency.

Research shows that consuming too much iron can increase the risk of lung and colorectal cancer, because tumors use excess iron to grow. Excess iron also accumulates in the liver, causing toxicity. Therefore, people need to pay attention to the amount of iron they consume. Thus, it is necessary to balance the amount of iron consumed, avoiding iron deficiency or excess.

Iron deficiency is one of the most common nutritional problems in the world. Recent research in JAMA Network Open shows that 29% of American adults have iron deficiency, nearly a third of the country’s population may have undiagnosed iron deficiency.

According to the American Society of Hematology, absolute iron deficiency, especially common in women, children, and vegetarians, is a condition of reduced or no “reserves” of iron. Functional iron deficiency is a phenomenon in which the body has enough iron reserves but cannot use it effectively.

Iron deficiency weakens the immune system, making it difficult for the body to fight disease. Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, cold hands and feet, chest pain, pale skin, loss of appetite, difficulty breathing, dizziness, and headaches. Some people crave non-food items such as rocks, dirt, paper, even clay.

Iron deficiency can lead to anemia. When the number of red blood cells is low, the body has difficulty absorbing iron, the diet does not include enough iron-rich foods, or the body loses more blood than the body can replace. Iron-rich foods include red meat, poultry, fish, spinach, beans, whole grains and eggs.