Exposure to toxin increases colorectal cancer risk among younger adults, study finds

Amid the alarming trend of colorectal cancer cases rising among young people, a new study has pinpointed a potential source.Researchers from University of California San Diego have linked a bacterial toxin called colibactin to the increase in early-onset cases.Colibactin is produced by certain strains of Escherichia coli (E. coli) that exist in the colon and rectum, according to the researchers.COLORECTAL CANCER RISK REDUCED BY THIS COMMON VITAMIN, STUDY SUGGESTSExposure to the bacterial toxin during early childhood can alter the DNA of colon cells in a way that increases the risk of developing colorectal cancer before age 50, the study found.The study, which was funded by Cancer Research UK, was published in the journal Nature on April 23."The key takeaway is that exposure to colibactin is likely a major contributor to early-onset colorectal cancer," senior author Ludmil Alexandrov, professor in the Shu Chien-Gene Lay Department of Bioengineering and the Department of… ...[TheTopNews] Read More.