Huge breakthrough as scientists pinpoint cause of colon cancer in young people… with 100,000 exposed yearly

A common food bug picked up in childhood may be fueling a colon cancer epidemic in young people, according to a bombshell study.

Colorectal (bowel) cancer, long considered a disease of old age, is increasingly striking people in their 20s, 30s and 40s in the US and UK in a phenomenon that has baffled doctors.

Now, researchers at the University of California San Diego believe they’ve found a potential culprit: E. coli, a foodborne bacteria that infects around 75,000-90,000 Americans each year and at least 1,500 Britons.

By analyzing DNA from young colon cancer patients, the team found unique genetic changes in their digestive tracts that appear to raise the risk of tumors forming — likely triggered during childhood, when the body is still developing.

They also detected traces of colibactin, a cancer-linked toxin produced by certain strains of E. Coli, lurking in tumors from patients under 40.

The most common source of E. Coli is undercooked ground beef, where bacteria can spread during processing.

But leafy greens like romaine and spinach are another major culprit, often contaminated in the field through taint