I’m a colon cancer surgeon – I banned two bathroom cabinet staples to protect my family from the disease

A leading colon cancer surgeon has revealed the common household bathroom products she’s banned due to their links to the disease. 

Posting on Instagram Dr Karen Zaghiyan, from Los Angeles, said that you will ‘never’ find mouthwash in her home.

In a clip to her 50,000 followers, she explained how recent studies had linked the dental hygiene product to the disease. 

She detailed how ‘mouthwash can cause a disturbance in the oral microbiome which can then cause a disturbance in the gut bacteria as well.’

One recent review by Spanish researchers found an absence of three bacteria in the mouth— potentially wiped out by mouthwash — led to an increased risk of colon cancer.

The surgeon revealed the second product she has banned are wet wipes.

Dr Zaghiyan said: ‘you will never find me purchasing wet wipes. Many patients come in with perianal dermatitis and skin rashes from wet wipe use.

‘I never use them personally and I never use them on my children, I use water or a bidet if it is available.’

Dr Zaghiyan warns that mouthwash could increase the risk of getting colorectal cancer

Perianal dermatitis is a rash or skin change anywhere around the anus or between the buttocks.

Experts warn that excess moisture from using wet wipes, if not dried before leaving the bathroom,  can promote the growth of bacteria, which has been linked to colorectal cancer.

The surgeon’s warning comes amid a mysterious global rise in bowel cancer, sometimes called colon cancer, among young adults. 

There are 44,100 new cases of the disease every year in the UK, about 2,600 of which are among 25-to-49-year-olds.

Research shows that those born in 1990 who are in their mid-30s today are nearly two and a half times more likely to get bowel cancer than someone born in 1950.

Between the early 1990s and 2018, the number of adults aged 25 to 49 diagnosed with bowel cancer rose 22 per cent in the UK — one of the largest increases among high income countries.

Analyses also suggest deaths from bowel cancer in the UK are set to rise by 2,500 a year between now and 2040.

Meanwhile, the number of people in the UK diagnosed with the disease will rise by around a tenth in the same period.

Bowel cancer can cause you to have blood in your poo, a change in bowel habit, or a lump inside your bowel which can cause an obstructions. Some people also suffer with weight loss as a result of these symptoms

Experts are baffled by the rise, particularly the number of cases in patients under 50. 

Late last year, experts from the University of Miami proposed a new theory. 

Writing in the journal Cancer Prevention Research, the scientists suggested the rise in young bowel cancers may be partly explained by the phenomenon of ‘accelerated ageing’ among younger people.

‘Accelerated ageing’ is a scientific concept in which a person’s body is physiologically older than their actual chronological age, which is their number of birthdays.

The scientists found that each year of accelerated aging correlated with a 16 per cent increased risk of developing polyps, small growths that can lead to cancer.

This ageing is thought to be caused by a mixture of lifestyle choices, such as diet and level of exercise, as well as factors typically outside of an individual’s control, such as environmental exposure to chemicals in their food, clothing and air.

Meanwhile, a growing number of studies have laid the blame at the foot of ultra-processed food (UPF) – and the global population’s increasing consumption of it.

One Singaporean study found methylglyoxal, a compound released when the body breaks down sugary and fatty foods, interfered with a gene that helps fight off tumours.

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Another 2023 study in the journal Clinical Nutrition found a ‘consistent significant association between intake of UPF and the risk of overall and several cancers,’ including those of the bowel.

Bowel cancer currently kills just shy of 17,000 people in Britain each year, with only half of those diagnosed expected to survive 10 years after their diagnosis.

Symptoms of bowel cancer include bleeding from the bottom or blood in the stool, stomach pain, a lump in the stomach, bloating, fatigue or losing weight without trying.

People who have these symptoms for three weeks or more should contact their GP for advice.

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