ATLANTA — Colorectal cancer is now considered the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among young people.

The American Cancer Society says 3,900 people ages 20 to 49 died of colorectal cancer in 2023, which is more than any other kind of cancer-related death.

Scientists like Trevor Graham at the Institute of Cancer Research suspect obesity and diets heavy in ultra processed foods may be to blame.

“There is a particular kind of E. coli that lives in the bowels of young people today that wasn’t there in the past,” Graham says.

Medical groups have lowered the recommended age for colonoscopies to 45, but they say not enough young people are getting the screenings.