An early release of findings from an Australian study published in medRxiv this week showed the incidence of bowel cancer is up to three times higher among Australians born in the 1990s compared with the 1950s cohort.
Bowel cancer is now the leading cause of death in people aged 25 to 44 in Australia.
Obesity is a major predictor of colorectal cancer, which has become more common since the 1990s. Physical exercise and fibre intake may also be independently associated with lower rates of colorectal cancer as well.