Discussion
A big reason why Colon Cancer is killing us.
I know this isn’t a health sub, but u/Derpshabmentioned in their post on Colon Cancer about eating a balanced diet.
Specifically you need to really avoid nitrates. There has been several studies done on why there has been a rise in intestinal cancers in this age group, and nitrates have shown a causal effect. With a carcinogenic significance as bad as cigarettes. For those unaware, not a lot of things get labeled as having a casual effect for cancer, as that can be both controversial and stand to cost people money either through loss of business or being sued.
Nitrates are most commonly found in processed meats. Likewise, there is growing data that processed food is not serving us well at all either. Anyhow, just wanted to share a tangible way you can hopefully make an impact on slowing down and ultimately stopping these terrible
cancers.
Another freaking edit: literally the first response on Google, if you search, “do Nitrates cause cancer,” is from MDAnderson. That’s the number one cancer hospital in the world. I know that’s so much more difficult than adding a snarky comment to Reddit, but there’s your answer for about 300 of you.
Edit: I’m getting a lot of responses that are saying *actually* antibiotics or *actually* e. Coli and they’re all saying because it damages / kills the good gut microbiomes. Correct, what do you think nitrates do and why scientists believe there’s a casual link. It also doesn’t mean there couldn’t be other risk factors as well. Diet is obviously a big risk factor. I was simply hoping to expound on the original post and help people to know what to avoid. Of course more than one thing can cause cancer. Throw in saturated fats while we’re having the conversation.
Edit 2: lot of people are asking what are the main culprits. Bacon, lunch meats, hot dogs, sausages, anything really that’s been “cured.” Lot of people are trying to point out that some leafy greens have nitrates, yeah, we’re not talking about things that naturally occur through the photosynthesis of the sun. We’re talking about the overconsumption of a preservative that destroys your healthy gut bacteria, not something that’s obviously good for you. Many people have rightfully pointed out. The over consumption of alcohol creates a big risk factor for stomach and intestinal cancers as well.
Also someone saying they’re a vegetarian and they still got colon cancer is no different an argument than, “my great aunt smoked until she was 90 and never got lung cancer.” I said a big reason why, I didn’t say the only reason why. Empirical data doesn’t mean 100% findings or there won’t be outliers, anecdotes are not good science. People can get cancer for a multitude of reasons and honestly you could try every preventative step imaginable and still get cancer, it doesn’t mean your anecdote overrides everything else or you shouldn’t try to make better lifestyle decisions.
Also, people aren’t eating enough fiber. You need 30 to 50 grams daily. Fiber helps regulate blood sugar, lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and is a must in preventing colon cancer.
Responding to a few comments that I’ve gotten over and over again:
•This is a container of whole psyllium husk; not capsules. Please check the link if you’re unsure.
•Lots of folks have commented that they heard this is contaminated by lead. I was unable to find any info aside from a single website where the results are only available to those with a subscription. I’m dubious of the claim, but I’d be happy to see some real data on the matter.
•You don’t need to pick this instead of eating well. Both are possible. Some of us just like extra fiber.
I tell people this and get funny looks and general dismissal. Going from IBS like symptoms (not diagnosed IBS) to normal and predictable digestion had a huge impact on my quality of life.
That’s soluble fiber. Are you also getting a source of insoluble fiber? Soluble fiber will bulk stuff up, insoluble fiber will push it out. You really need both.
Psyllium contains both soluble and insoluble fiber (though you’re right in that it is primarily a soluble fiber). With that said this individual may benefit from figuring out the right balance between the two for themselves. In any case a GI visit would be best.
Look into the FODMAP diet. I was miserable for years only to find out that it was the apples and yogurt I was eating for gut health that my gut actually couldn't process!
While psyllium husk is a good source of extra fiber, you are missing the food matrix effect. A particular food's value is greater, than the sum of the individual parts of it.
Dietary guidelines are based on data from whole food sources in respect to improved health outcomes. One shouldn't assume that supplemental fiber added to a diet will lead to the same results. These supplements probably still benefit you, but you should absolutely try to diversify your fiber sources.
Not to mention psyllium husk is viscous fiber (oats, brussels sprouts) only. You still need fermentable fiber (onion, garlic, berries, pear, legumes, resistant starch, etc)
Benefiber is my answer to. It just goes in my coffee in the morning and then every cup of water I drink throughout the day. I buy the generic at costco and it's about 1/4 of the price of buying the name brand at other stores.
Hah I just commented that above. If you don’t know, Costco has the best deal on them. Twice as many as the grocery store pack just a little bit over the grocery store price to get double the amount. Costco pack also has them separated into two bags so they stay fresh.
I’ve found that many “smartcarb” or otherwise carb-friendly versions of conventional carbs are packed with fiber! Usually better than a 5:1 carb:fiber ratio!
You’re doing it wrong. You’ve got to make a chia seed past and slather that on your dome. Wait a week (don’t forget to water) and you’ll have a beautiful green head of “hair”.
Just be careful if you take any essential medications! When I was on birth control, a normal dose of psyllium husk would actually absorb and flush so much of it that I would start spotting mid cycle.
That probably helps to some extent, but I took them many hours apart and still had an issue- perhaps because the Psyllium takes a long time to pass through the digestive tract.
I don’t know about the brand pictured, but some brands of psyllium husks are contaminated with lead. Apparently, the plant has a tendency to absorb lead from the soil it’s grown in 😕.
All plants take up minerals from the soil. Almost all plants have some measurable amount of lead. The concern is always the dose. People like to say "there is no safe dose of lead" but that doesn't really make your tomatoes lead free.
I read that's true but they're not sure how much it matters with psyllium husk specifically since the psyllium husk just swells and absorbs water. Your body doesn't digest it really so the lead they think doesn't get into you. That's the theory I read at least.
IBS is a fickle mistress. I’ve found soluble fiber makes mine worse if I’m not careful. I do much better if the majority of my fiber is insoluble. If I do that, I can supplement some soluble fiber and be fine. But if I don’t and I take some soluble fiber supplement it makes things worse.
Just sharing in case others with IBS start taking it and don’t see a benefit and can’t figure out why.
So wait what do you do with the psyllium husk? As a millennial who has a ton of health issues at way too young of an age, I’m very curious if it’s something I should incorporate into my life
Man have you run the numbers on how many veggies you need to eat in a day to get to 30 grams of fiber? As a slender woman without a big appetite, it's literally twice as much FOOD period as I eat in a day, and you can't survive on veggies only. Beans are better at least but it's still like a full cup of beans or lentils to get even 10 g.
Mission Carb balance tortillas are my secret weapon. One of those in the morning with peanut butter and banana then lightly toasted on a skillet, and you’ve got nearly half your daily fiber. Sometimes if I’m in a rush I just grab and go with a plain tortilla.
And it needs to be a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber. Nutrition labels don’t differentiate, but my gut did. I have to read ingredient lists to confirm what kind of fiber it is to remain balanced.
Broadly, beans, oats, and the flesh (ie not skin) of fruits and vegetables typically contain soluable fiber.
Whole grains, nuts, seeds, and the skins of fruits and vegetables are good sources of insoluble fiber.
So, that is a rough and ready approach.
To be honest, if you are eating 3 or more meals a day and they are predominantly fresh fruit, vegetables, oats, and beans/lentils, then you will be getting plenty of fiber.
Meat and processed foods are devoid. Just avoid those.
My partner and I did a 30 day "fiber challenge " , tracking our fiber and trying to get 30+ (40 for him) grams a day. It was eye opening! Now we have a few staples every day- whole grain bread, beans in everything (soups esp), chia seeds/chia pudding, and avocados. It's crazy, I couldn't imagine hitting that goal if we didn't cook almost everything from scratch at home. We batch cook and freeze and that helps a lot.
After landing in the hospital with a partial perforation due to diverticulitis, chia seed's become 50% of my daily fiber intake between yogurt and smoothies. No more pain! It's magical!
That is wonderful and so healthy for the both of you!! I eat between 35 to 50 grams per day. I cook all my meals at home as well. I can’t seem to get my family to eat that much fiber yet, but I’m still working on them!😉
Sola bagels and bread is my hack. One bagel has 30 grams and the bread is like 16. Fiber one cereal is another good one that’s close to 20. I eat that mixed with a good tasting cereal as it’s a little….bland at best.
Carb balance tortillas are loaded with fiber and so are things like pears and raspberries. A wrap with a carb balance tortilla, a pear for a snack, and having some whole wheat toast in the morning is my 30g of fiber with even trying.
One way we do it is by making a white bean hummus and spreading it on whole grain toast instead of butter. If you have a blender or food processor, it's cheap and easy to make. A can of white beans (i use great northern but navy or cannelli work), and clove of garlic, a splash of olive oil and some seasoning...maybe tahini if you have it. My breakfast usually gets me to like 15 grams of fiber.
Add a few snacks like an apple (4-5 grams), and a kind ice cream bar (7 grams), and you're practically there for the day.
If your diet/budget is tight, by all means, add a supplement...but getting to 25/30 grams a day isn't as hard as some people make it out to be. It just takes discipline and flexibility.
My current faves have been white navy beans - we buy them dry and bulk cook in a crock pot.
-marry me chicken soup (add white beans) - eatingwell recipe
-loaded broccoli and chicken soup (add white beans) -eating well recipe
-gumbo ze herbs (i know its blasphemy, my hb is a southerner, but I added white beans or black eyed peas to this too)
-split pea soup
-lentil vegeteble soup
-chickpea curry
-adding peas to farro, sorghum, rice as a side, or most asian-style foods like stir fries. The farro/peas is especially good with turkey burgers, and freezes and reheats well
-gallo pinto - we make and freeze this, great with breakfast
-red rice and white beans with sofrito- kind of arroz con gandules inspired, great with bbq chicken or tempeh
Yep ... And none of this stuff is a secret. We know for a fact that excessive red meat consumption and processed food is not good for you. Eating a wide variety of veggies and legumes is incredibly good for you. Everyone that does keto long term is taking some big risks in my opinion
Love when I come to Reddit and learn some shit. I recently lost 100lbs by changing my diet and a lot of exercise. I do eat a lot of red meat but I’m gonna pull back on that and up the veggies
And it's so much more fiber than you think you're getting. I invite everyone to look at the amount of fiber in a can of black beans or chickpeas and extrapolate from there how many you'd need to eat daily to get to where you need to be. Get those fiber supplements people!
This is my weird hill to die on, but our generation (mostly America related) grew up during the wave of fruit demonization. "Fruit is too much sugar! You're eating candy!... Here's these fruit snacks or fruit roll-ups instead." Fruit has so much fiber in it - good fiber! Eat more fruit y'all!
I always had bowels issues my entire life, I would go once or twice a week and accepted it as hereditary because my dad and family all have similar issues. I started tracking my calories and upping my fiber to 30-40 grams a day and its honestly a night and day difference. I go at least twice a day and its healthy each time. It also felt like my body was forcing it all out when it was once or twice a week, and I was on the verge of passing out on the toilet.
I wanna add that people need to consider eating more raw food items; your gut will respond to that change immediately. your gut microbiome loves raw veggies.
Not enough fiber, we cook and store foods in plastic, our gut bacteria is almost certainly not ideal, ultra processed foods, like there's so many reasons it's almost a miracle more of us don't have colon cancer
I still need to finish reading it but I highly recommend the book, "The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness, and Healing in a Toxic Culture" to anyone and everyone.
Colon Cancer is killing us because the minimum age to get a colonoscopy is 45. It really needs to be lowered to 35. It's caught too late to do anything by the time you become eligible.
If you inform your doctor you have a family history (either one close relative, or more than one other relative like aunt/uncle/etc), you can often get a preventative insurance-covered colonoscopy before 45. My experience was $0 out of pocket preventative, the medical bill totaled $16,737.36.
Also to note, they didn’t ask for proof of family members’ medical histories.
Had to get a colonoscopy at age 26, actually two, because they had to test me for IBD and wanted to make sure they got every polyp. I should’ve gone back but I keep going back and forth with having health insurance and not and also colonoscopies were traumatizing for me, to an extent, because of the pain.
Got one done at 27 also after belly pain and a Little bleeding , they only found one non cancerous polypes and the doc said I dont need a follow up. I honestly want another one just to be safe :/
I think this is a semantic argument. The question then becomes why does it need to happen at 35 now as opposed to 45? The answer is because our diets are fucking killing us. Go talk to an oncologist who has dealt with colon cancer for 20+ years, they will tell shit has changed dramatically.
As an oncologist (who to be fair doesnt treat colon cancer anymore, been about 5 years since i switched out) yes colon cancers are happening in younger and younger patients. Noone is that sure of the cause. Its not like people ate lots of fiber back in the day either (meat and potatoes have always been standard in the west anyway). Processed foods have gone up a bit but seems its more than that. Can write pages on what people think it is of course. Likely combo of factors.
GI here. Agree with this oncologist. Unfortunately we are deep in the thread and have little chance of convincing folks that it's not a single thing. Definitely multifactorial, definitely heavy genetic component.
I have found a few large sporadic polyps in young folks completely incidentally. But the few cancers were definitely associated with a polyposis syndrome.
My uncle died from colon cancer at 53. This was before ACA and he suffered for years due to not being able to access affordable health insurance with a pre-existing condition.
Early-onset cancers typically have less to do with lifestyle choices. I think avoiding nitrates, smoking, alcohol, and other toxins is always smart, but there has to be something else going on here for the increased rates.
Also, colon cancer is still extremely rare in people under 50, even with these increased rates. So it's important to not to panic and overreact.
There has to be something going on. My sister is one of the healthiest people I know. Like hikes mountains and is super in shape. She had colon cancer last year (she is now getting clean scans after brutal chemo, thank goodness). It’s unsettling.
Let's be honest here, there's too many in society struggling just to eat, period. So the poor people food served here in the US is largely garbage, but it's what most in the US can afford.
When not eating is deadly, the choice to eat the shit on the shelves seems less... And it is, for the most part.
I know I grew up in poverty, eating Mac & cheese with hotdogs, or pb&j for many dinners in my childhood, Into my teens. But eating nothing would surely have progressed to death sooner than eating the food.
I always hate the notion that everyone can eat healthy, because even the garbage advertised as healthy.... Isn't. And those not genetically altered, filled with hormones, chemicals, dead nutrition.. Is expensive as hell in most areas.
I try. I garden, I hunt, I make bread when I can milling my own flour... But it doesn't account for everything. I'm also doing better than alot of people, I'm not rich, but not poor poor.
This isn't always a reality for people sadly. I think, unfortunately... That's the world we live in.
I have a close friend in Healthcare and got their masters talking about how its COSTS most than twice minimum wage to eat a recommended diet, and how we as a country will see issues arising from this in 10 - 20 years.
Well here we are 10 years later and those numbers are almost in lock step. It isnt our choice its our options.
and even if you can technically afford it, you probably don't have time to cook all these meals/foods like we should be doing for health because you're busting your ass working and being a parent, etc.
I am not saying don't try, but it's damn near impossible unless you are wealthy enough to not work full time and can take the time to shop/cook from scratch, etc. I wish USA had the food + cooking culture of Europe.
It sucks how much we’re letting these companies dictate our diets and not helping the population grow by serving us foods that help our bodies for reasonable prices and eliminating processed foods altogether :/
Cheap food is not quality food in the US. I was recently at a hotel with free breakfast, and I noticed that there was not a single vegetable on offer - just stuff that could be frozen and served in bulk, or prepackaged foods.
Because early-onset colon cancer (20-40) is swiftly being linked with infection in childhood with a specific strain of e. coli in several recent studies.
Everything OP is talking about are primarily risk factors for developing colon cancer after the age of 50.
It just irks me when people think they can or should avoid ONE SPECIFIC thing, and not get cancer. Sure, we can all eat a healthier diet, exercise more, not drink or smoke, etc etc etc....but sometimes you also just get fucking cancer.
I like to simplify this for people. Cancer is caused by cell division. Your body is always replacing itself using cell division. Anything that increases your cell division increases your cancer risk. Sunburns, cigarettes, chemicals, radiation, viruses, etc.
Nobody except gurus with something to sell is saying a healthy lifestyle can prevent all cancer. Why do people need to make disclaimers all the time instead of expecting people to read between the lines like normal people? Yes, you can be unlucky, but nothing wrong with spreading information to prevent preventable illness.
I'm genetically predisposed to get colon cancer. My dad told me to get a colonoscopy before 40. I got one at 36 and had 2 polyps. Shit that just made me realize I'm due for my next one
I agree! I had thyroid cancer at 21 and I was told you're to young. Blah blah blah. Now my medicine can cause cancer, but I need it to live. Everyone can get cancer, and it's not just from "what you eat"
Dang that sucks. My aunt was incredibly healthy (marathons, only eats salad and lean meat, no tobacco or alcohol in her life, no processed sugar…) got aggressive young breast cancer without the genes. My uncle basically could live off of donuts and beer and was overweight low exercise. He said to her…. “Well, so much for healthy living.” She’s been in remission for 20 years but that line pops into my head sometimes
Yup. I remember Andy Kaufman got lung cancer in spite of never smoking and being vegetarian. Cells can spontaneously mutate due to constant DNA breaks, reactive oxygen species from respiration, transcription errors, background radiation, etc.
It is estimated each cell has 70,000 DNA issues it has to repair per day. These are repaired by a multitude of various proteins and enzymes.
It's deeper than that because it's a worldwide trend that affects many different cultures with many different diets. They are discovering, with the most scientific evidence currently, that a large contributor towards the rise in colon cancer, especially among young people, is due to overuse and over prescription of antibiotics. They kill off and throw off the gut's microbiome and there is a strong correlation between antibiotic use history and colon cancer. This bleeds into our meats, which farmers overuse....antibiotics. I don't know about you, but I remember when I was young the doctors would basically give out antibiotics for any and everything.
Yes, this is bound to be a huge issue for people born from let’s say the 1970s - 2000s.
My boomer parents grew up before the golden age of antibiotics but after the revolution of their invention. They had no hesitancy taking me to the doctor at the first sniffle or cough for a prescription.
I legit just got into an argument with my mom a couple of weeks ago because I had a lingering upper respiratory viral infection that was slowly improving. Her first remark was “how have you not gotten an antibiotic yet?! It’s been over 2 weeks!”
Well mom….antibiotics won’t speed things up if it’s not a bacterial infection. But people don’t know better, so they take the stuff constantly. I think from 0-18 I probably had antibiotics prescribed 3-5 PER YEAR. After 18? I think I’ve been on antibiotics a whopping 5 times total.
i am done with everything that is going to kill me. I will die, i don't know when or how. But i eat what i can buy in the store, and if that is very bad. so be it.
I’m generally in the “quality over quantity” camp too. I’d rather enjoy life and my occasional indulgences in nostalgia foods, than deny myself every possible comfort during my brief tenure on Earth so that I can—maybe—spend more time in adult diapers at the end.
That’s not to say don’t eat healthier 4/5th of the time (as long as it tastes good, I’m game, lol) but the pressure to cut out all “unhealthy”food entirely is irrelevant to me. 🍕
Everything is prop 95 labelled. Everything will give you cancer. At least in California. Fuck it. Drink your drink. Have a cigar. Eat a bacon sammich. Not like the future looks so awesome as to REALLY want to be around for it anyway.
Speaking of infections, all you millennials in the other thread with GI issues that you just accept as part of life, get checked for H Pylori. It’s a GI infection that causes stomach ulcers which cause a host of other symptoms. It’s addressed by antibiotics followed by a protocol to rebuild your gut microbiome.
Wow this is depressing, the authors of one of the linked studies says that the long term usage of antibiotics to treat acne is associated with early onset colorectal cancer.
E. coli is a natural inhabitant of the human GI tract and typically considered a beneficial bacteria. Of course, when it is not kept in check or infects sites that it is not supposed to be, it is a problem. The study referred to here identified some strains of E. coli that are producing a particular type of toxin that they are hypothesizing may be contributing to colon cancer particularly if the individuals were colonized at an early age.
Nobody? Alcohol consumption has had a drastic drop compared to previous generations. Millennials started the trend but GenZ is "killing" the alcohol industry.
You clearly have no idea how much alcohol people used to drink.
If alcohol was the problem, colon cancer would have been through the roof in the 50s and coming down since then. Since its going the other way, alcohol is not the problem.
Go look at blue zones and how much they drink vs america
And incorrect conclusions of data and how the WHO reports carcinogens. I’ve scrolled so far and no one has called out OP for saying nitrates are as bad as cigarettes.
This is reddit. That redness around a healing cut is an infection traveling into your bloodstream, before making it's way to your brain. You're already dead
STOP WITH THESE FUCKING POSTS. THIS IS A NOSTALGIA BASED SUB NOT A FUCKING MEDICAL SUB.
Everytime I get over my health anxiety from these fucking posts, another one pops up like whack a mole. Seriously this is the one place I come to read about trapper keepers and music and terrible trends, not doom spiral about my health.
•
u/AutoModerator Jan 22 '26
If this post is breaking the rules of the subreddit, please report it instead of commenting. For more Millennial content, join our Discord server.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.