Eating Too Much Red Meat And 5 Other Ways To Tell If You’re At Risk Of Bowel Cancer

Bowel cancer is the second deadliest form of the disease in the UK and the exact cause is still unknown.

But research has found several factors which might increase your risk of developing it.

Sadly some of them are things that you can't do anything about, such as age or genetics.

However, others can be controlled by making some lifestyle changes.

The Sun's No Time 2 Lose campaign aims to raise awareness of the signs and symptoms of bowel cancer.

Here are six of the factors that could put you at higher risk and how to reduce your chances of developing the disease...

1. Eating red meat

If your diet is high in red and processed meat it can increase your risk of developing bowel cancer.

A new study found that just 25g of processed meat - the equivalent to one rasher of bacon or two-thirds of a sausage - everyday can raise your risk by a fifth.

That's twice as high as previously thought after the World Health Organisation warned that 50g increased the risk of bowel cancer by 18 per cent back in 2015.

Researchers from the University of Oxford analysed the diets of half a million Brits aged 40 to 69 and followed them for an average of almost six years.

During this time, 2,609 developed bowel cancer.

Those who ate 76g of red and processed meat a day had a 20 per cent higher risk of the disease than those who ate only 21g.

2. Aged over 50

Around 1 in 20 people develop bowel cancer, but it is much more common in older people, according to the NHS.

More than 80 per cent of people who get the disease are over the age of 60.

But that doesn't rule out younger people - anyone can get develop the disease.

In fact 2,500 people under the age of 50 are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year.

That's why it's important to spot the signs early as 97 per cent of people diagnosed in the earliest stages will survive for five years or more.

3. Family history of disease

If a family member, especially a parent, sibling or child, has had bowel cancer, it could put you at higher risk of developing it, according to Cancer Research UK.

The risk is increased further if one or more of your relatives was diagnosed or if they were under the age of 45.

There are also some rare inherited conditions associated with certain gene changes.

Almost a third of bowel cancers may be caused by a change or fault in one or more genes, which can be passed down through a family.

Experts don't yet know which genes are involved in all cases but around one in every 20 bowel cancers is caused by a change in a gene that is known.

If you have a family history of bowel cancer you should speak to your GP who might refer you for genetic testing.

4. Benign bowel polyps

Growths in the bowel, called polyps, are usually not cancerous but they can develop into the disease over a period of time.

They are quite common and almost a third of the population will have at least one by the time they're 60.

The risk of them turning into cancer depends on how many growths you have and how big they are.

That's why the bowel cancer screening programmes across the nation are so important in spotting polyps before they become cancerous.

The Sun's No Time 2 Lose campaign fought for the screening age in England and Wales to be lowered from 60 to 50 - as it is in Scotland.

Last August, health secretary Matt Hancock announced it would happen, however a year on and there's still no sign of it being implemented.

5. Digestive disorders

People with other digestive conditions might also put them at higher risk of developing bowel cancer - and at a younger age than usual.

These include Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, which are both chronic diseases causing inflammation of the bowel.

For those with these conditions, regular check-ups should take place from about 10 years after your symptoms first develop.

6. Unhealthy lifestyle

Obesity has been linked to an increased risk of bowel cancer, especially in men.

It's estimated that 11 per cent of cases in the UK are due to being overweight.

Smoking and drinking alcohol have also been linked to the disease and account for 7 per cent and 6 per cent of cases respectively.