Alert For Athletes: Scientific Study Links Running Marathons to Colon Cancer

Written by Jefferson Augusto

Published on 01/06/2025 at 17:56

Imagem de maratona urbana com gráfico do National Cancer Institute mostrando crescimento nos casos de câncer colorretal entre jovens americanos desde 2001

Be the first to react!

Research With Ultramarathon Runners Reveals High Presence of Precancerous Tumors in the Colon, Even Among Those Considered Healthy and Active

A new study presented at ASCO 2025, the world’s largest oncology conference, raised an unexpected alert: marathon and ultramarathon runners between the ages of 35 and 50 have significantly higher rates of precancerous tumors in the colon than the general population. The information was published by the Daily Mail this Sunday, 01/06.

Of the 100 runners assessed, 41% had at least one adenoma, a type of polyp that can develop into cancer. Another 15% had advanced adenomas, and more than half reported rectal bleeding, a symptom often overlooked by doctors but that can be indicative of colorectal cancer.

According to oncologist Dr. Timothy Cannon, who led the research, the motivation for the study came from observing that several of his patients with colon cancer, still young and extremely active, were long-distance runners.

ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW

Young, Healthy, and Shocked by the Diagnosis

Cases like that of Phil Decker, diagnosed with stage 4 colorectal cancer while training for a marathon, illustrate the shock experienced by patients who strictly followed a healthy lifestyle.

Other examples include Radwah Oda, diagnosed at 33, and Laurie Koshers, a vegetarian and daily runner, who was surprised at 44 with the same diagnosis. The case of John B. Johnson, a marathon runner at 35, reinforces the pattern identified by the study.

These personal accounts have intensified the debate about the silent epidemic of early colorectal cancer: in the U.S., cases among people under 50 are rising, while decreasing among older individuals.

According to data from the American Cancer Society, more than 20,000 people under 50 will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in 2025. Among young people aged 20 to 34, the rate of new cases is expected to rise by 90% by 2030. Among adolescents, the jump has been 500% since the 2000s.

The lingering question: is running the cause or just a factor among many? There is still no consensus. Genetic factors, diet, intestinal inflammation, and dietary habits, such as excessive use of supplements and processed foods, are all under investigation.

The message from the medical community, however, is clear: prevention and attention to signs are crucial, even among those who consider themselves “invulnerable” to the disease. After all, as one of the patients said: “I was doing everything right, and still, I was caught by surprise”.

0 Comments

most recent

older Most voted

Alert For Athletes: Scientific Study Links Running Marathons to Colon Cancer

Research With Ultramarathon Runners Reveals High Presence of Precancerous Tumors in the Colon, Even Among Those Considered Healthy and Active

Young, Healthy, and Shocked by the Diagnosis

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

He transformed an abandoned plastic water tank into an underground house in the “hobbit hole” style, using only repurposed pallet wood, without heavy machinery or expensive labor.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

Toyota launches “family hybrid van” with 7 or 8 seats, 1.8 hybrid engine, fuel consumption of up to 23.8 km/l, and a price equivalent to about R$ 104,000 without taxes, below the Tiggo 8 Pro Plug-in Hybrid sold in Brazil: meet the Noah Hybrid 2026 in Japan.

Drivers with licenses nearing expiration received an unexpected reprieve on the calendar, but the Contran extension only applies to those within specific dates.

Embrapa takes cashew, peanuts, and sesame to the world’s largest seed bank in Norway, where Brazil has already stored more than 8,000 samples since 2012 against pests and climate change.

China prepares mBridge, a new digital payment system with blockchain that promises transactions in seconds, lower fees, and the advancement of the digital renminbi while aiming to reduce dependence on the dollar in global trade.

Norway will excavate 3 million cubic meters of rock to open a 1,700-meter maritime tunnel, where ships will pass through a mountain in 10 minutes, escaping a stretch that has killed more than 30 people since 1900.

São Paulo accelerates basic sanitation with R$ 70 billion until 2029, expands treated water, sewage, and promises to advance universalization four years ahead of the national deadline.

Alert For Athletes: Scientific Study Links Running Marathons to Colon Cancer

Research With Ultramarathon Runners Reveals High Presence of Precancerous Tumors in the Colon, Even Among Those Considered Healthy and Active

Young, Healthy, and Shocked by the Diagnosis

Mother and daughter build a 70 m² house with more than 8,000 discarded glass bottles and impress with their creativity; known as the Casa de Sal, the property is located on Itamaracá Island, in Pernambuco.

Workers were opening a new road connection near the Marginal Tietê when they found, in the underground of the construction site, remnants of locomotives, wagons, and boilers from the 19th century linked to the forgotten history of Lapa.

Instead of burning or burying old tires, an American city is transforming about 2,000 of them into the street itself, paving its first sections with a quieter and more durable rubber asphalt.

China transforms desert-devastated area into the world’s largest artificial forest, planting trees for 60 years, blocking sand that reached Beijing, and creating a “green lung” of 92,000 hectares in a region once considered lost.

He transformed an abandoned plastic water tank into an underground house in the “hobbit hole” style, using only repurposed pallet wood, without heavy machinery or expensive labor.

Greek island offers free housing for volunteers, but there’s a condition: you need to take care of rescued cats.

Toyota launches “family hybrid van” with 7 or 8 seats, 1.8 hybrid engine, fuel consumption of up to 23.8 km/l, and a price equivalent to about R$ 104,000 without taxes, below the Tiggo 8 Pro Plug-in Hybrid sold in Brazil: meet the Noah Hybrid 2026 in Japan.

Embrapa takes cashew, peanuts, and sesame to the world’s largest seed bank in Norway, where Brazil has already stored more than 8,000 samples since 2012 against pests and climate change.

Finnish company creates recycled plastic and biomass blocks that fit together without cement, are 10 times lighter than common blocks, and have already been used to build schools in earthquake-affected areas.

A US startup wants to build a 10 km space cannon to launch multi-ton payloads into orbit at Mach 23, replacing part of the rockets with a colossal structure that looks like a science fiction weapon.

Extreme droughts and floods have doubled on the planet since 1901, according to a study of 1,300 river basins that reveals increasing pressure on agriculture, rivers, soils, ecosystems, and water supply.

Turkey begins aligning 5,000 giant concrete blocks of 21 tons in the Black Sea to erect a wall against giant waves, after the sea invaded the port of Faroz, destroyed nets, and sank 5 fishing boats.

Drivers with licenses nearing expiration received an unexpected reprieve on the calendar, but the Contran extension only applies to those within specific dates.

Embrapa takes cashew, peanuts, and sesame to the world’s largest seed bank in Norway, where Brazil has already stored more than 8,000 samples since 2012 against pests and climate change.

China prepares mBridge, a new digital payment system with blockchain that promises transactions in seconds, lower fees, and the advancement of the digital renminbi while aiming to reduce dependence on the dollar in global trade.

Norway will excavate 3 million cubic meters of rock to open a 1,700-meter maritime tunnel, where ships will pass through a mountain in 10 minutes, escaping a stretch that has killed more than 30 people since 1900.

São Paulo accelerates basic sanitation with R$ 70 billion until 2029, expands treated water, sewage, and promises to advance universalization four years ahead of the national deadline.