What are the risk factors for early colorectal cancer? Elizabeth Tracey reports

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Consumption of sugar sweetened beverages may explain part of the increase in colorectal cancer before the age of 50 we’re seeing nationally, a new study finds. William Nelson, director of the Kimmel Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, explains the data.

Nelson: Out of this group of 95,000 women they could find 109 women who got colorectal cancer at this young age group, less than 50. The women who reported drinking two sugar sweetened beverages a day had twice the increased risk of this early onset colorectal cancer as women who didn’t and there was basically a 16% increased risk for each sugar sweetened beverage beyond that, that appeared especially significant when they were aged 13 to 18.  :30

Nelson notes that the United States Preventive Services Task Force has now recommended screening for colorectal cancer beginning at age 45 because of this increased incidence, and says people should be mindful of their own family history also. At Johns Hopkins, I’m Elizabeth Tracey.