We discussed in our earlier blog how imbalance in our gut microbiome & reduced butyrate production can build mass of cancerous cells. Today, we are going to discuss one of the most dreaded diseases that impacts our colon & rectum, impacting 1,50,000 people every year- Colorectal Cancer!
Globally, over 1.3 million people are living with this dreaded cancer. Over the last 10 years, cases of colorectal cancer have increased by 2% every year in people under the age of 50. It is shocking right why so many young people are becoming prey to Colorectal cancer. Right! The answer to this may lie in how we are feeding our gut microbiome.
Let us discuss this in detail.
Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer deaths in the world. Colorectal cancer is nothing but cancer of bowels. There are two types of colorectal cancer:
- Colon Cancer– which begins in large intestine
- Rectal Cancer– Which begins at the end of large intestine (Rectum)
Be it colon or rectal cancer, the problem lies in the large intestine. This is where food we eat gets metabolised & converted into beneficial compounds, vitamins, minerals & metabolites that feeds our body. The rest all is excreted as waste.
Our large intestine or colon is composed of cells that are continuously dividing to strengthen our intestinal barrier & prevents the passage of any food or microbes from the large intestine to other parts of the body. However eating something which does not feed beneficial bacteria & release harmful byproducts such as harmful toxins leads to inflammation. This also leads to low production of short chain fatty acids such as Butyrate. Occurrence of inflammation & low Butyrate production brings your gut in state of Dysbiosis.
Gut Dysbiosis actually can promote mutation of cells, creating noncancerous cell clumps known as polyps. Over a period of time, it creates a cascading impact of cell division that makes the polyps grow larger. Left untreated, these polyps can lead to cancer growth.
Some of symptoms of Colorectal cancer include:
- Different stool consistency
- Change in bowel frequency
- Rectal bleeding
- Sharp abdomen Pain
- Consistent bloating & gas
- Rapid weight loss
- Extreme Fatigue
Although colorectal cancer is generally found in older people, it has now become increasingly common in younger folks.
As discussed above, wrong dietary & lifestyle choices, causing gut dysbiosis is the major reason for occurrence of colorectal cancer. Some of the other risks associated with this dreaded cancer include:
- Smoking & alcohol consumption– which generally leads to Acid Reflux
- Irritable bowel syndrome– Crohn’s disease & Ulcerative Colitis- caused by gut dysbiosis
- Obesity & diabetes
It is interesting to note that all these chronic health conditions are caused by imbalance in our gut microbiome.
The prevention of colorectal depends upon how you feed your gut. Studies & research have shown that there is a strong relationship between leaky gut ( caused by prolonged body wide inflammation) & colorectal cancer. People are more likely to develop colorectal cancer if they are not feeding their gut with the food that is not fueling beneficial microbes & causing pathogen/harmful bacteria overgrowth, resulting in low production of short chain fatty acids such as Butyrate & propionate.
Having a nutrition unique for your body that feeds butyrate producing microbes helps in preventing cell mutation from happening by giving endothelial cells that line the gut energy to grow stronger.
Intake of a unique diet for your body consisting of non digestible carbs, dietary fibre, polyphenols, prebiotics & probiotics can improve these short chain fatty acids as mentioned above & reduce/eliminate risk of colorectal cancer.
We, at Genefitletics help you decode health of gut microbiome & provide you personalized dietary & lifestyle recommendations that can help improve diversity of your microbiome & ensure abundant production of Butyrate, thereby maintaining your gut integrity & keeping risk of colorectal cancer at bay. For more details, sign up for a free discovery call here.
