{"id":198370,"date":"2025-06-19T23:26:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-19T23:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/198370\/"},"modified":"2025-06-19T23:26:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T23:26:14","slug":"constipation-warning-as-woman-develops-gut-problem-linked-to-colon-cancer-due-to-not-going-enough","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/198370\/","title":{"rendered":"Constipation warning as woman develops gut problem linked to colon cancer due to not going enough"},"content":{"rendered":"

A gut expert has warned of the long-term dangers of constipation, after the common problem triggered a nasty digestive issue that’s been linked to bowel and pancreatic cancer<\/a> in a 35-year-old patient.<\/p>\n

Despite only having one bowel movement a week for 15 years, the\u00a0unnamed patient was not concerned about her gut health and had no idea her infrequent gut\u00a0emptying was abnormal.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But, when she started experiencing consistent painful bloating <\/a>and excessive wind, she decided to seek expert advice from US-based gut health specialist\u00a0Devin Wagenman, as explained in an Instagram video.<\/p>\n

He eventually diagnosed the young woman with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), Wagenman explained.<\/p>\n

SIBO occurs when bacteria from the large intestine travel to the small intestine, causing bloating, excess wind, pain, food intolerances and nutrient deficiencies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Left untreated, this condition can interfere with the absorption of fats and nutrients, causing vitamin deficiencies, kidney problems, and has even been linked to cancer.<\/p>\n

In 2016, a Chinese study involving more than 200 cancer patients found a significant link between SIBO and the development of pancreatic, bile duct and colon cancers.<\/p>\n

\"According <\/p>\n

According to Dr Wagenman, ‘pooping once a week is not normal’ and could be a sign of something more serious\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Dr <\/p>\n

Dr Wagenman shared his patient’s lab results on Instagram after she suffered 15 years of constipation\u00a0<\/p>\n

The scientists suggested that bacteria overgrowth can produce a number of toxins that activate receptors in the body, known as TLR-4 receptors.<\/p>\n

These receptors can trigger inflammation, which is known to support tumour growth and weaken the immune system.<\/p>\n

Prior to the woman’s diagnosis she’d seen several specialists who had said her symptoms were likely due to constipation caused by a lack of fibre in her diet.<\/p>\n

Two gastrointestinal specialists suggested taking the laxative MiriLax to cure her symptoms.\u00a0<\/p>\n

But Dr Devin Wagenman said that this advice was misguided.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘The caveat that they didn’t ever consider was she was actually vegetarian<\/a>, so she was eating a tonne of fibre every single day and it never made a difference,’ Dr Wagenman said in the Instagram\u00a0video <\/a>that has so far garnered over 37,900 views.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Doctors at The Wellness Way, a restorative health clinic in Georgia, ran a stool test, to see what could be causing her problem.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The stool sample revealed\u00a0a high amount of bacteria in her gut.<\/p>\n

\"Pancreatic <\/p>\n

Pancreatic cancer has been dubbed a ‘silent killer’ due to its subtle signs that are often only spotted too late<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

Tess, who goes by the name ‘thegreenthumbmum’ on TikTok posted a video about her symptoms in a bid to spare others from the same fate<\/p>\n

‘This suggests she is dealing with something called SIBO or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, which is going to cause a lot of fermentation, gas and bloating’, Dr Wagenman explained.\u00a0<\/p>\n

‘This is because she is not emptying regularly’, he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The condition commonly occurs when constipation or surgery slows the movement of food and waste products in the digestive tract, creating a breeding ground for bacteria.\u00a0<\/p>\n

SIBO is diagnosed through either a simple breath test that measures the concentration of hydrogen and methane in a person’s breath, or via an endoscopy.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The bacterial overgrowth is usually treated with antibiotics to kill the harmful bugs.<\/p>\n

The clinic also\u00a0ran a food allergy and intolerance test,\u00a0to see which foods the patient’s immune system was responding to.<\/p>\n

Her results revealed\u00a036 adverse reactions, to wheat, cow’s milk and chia seeds as well as a number of other high fibre foods such as barley and pinto beans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0Dr Wagenman was subsequently able to treat the woman’s SIBO with a combination of medical treatment and diet changes.<\/p>\n

\"Bowel <\/p>\n

Bowel cancer can cause you to have blood in your poo, a change in bowel habit, or a lump inside your bowel which can cause an obstructions. Some people also suffer with weight loss as a result of these symptoms<\/p>\n

Within two months, she began to have two to three healthy bowel movements a week.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Dr Wagenman shared her blood test results to Instagram in a bid to show his followers that one bowel movement a week ‘is not normal’.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This warning comes amid a worrying trend of younger adults being diagnosed with bowel cancer, after putting their symptoms down to stress, indigestion and food intolerances.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For instance, one\u00a0mother-of-two<\/a>\u00a0 urged women to seek help for gut problems after her stomach pain and constipation turned out to be deadly bowel cancer that had spread to her liver.<\/p>\n

Tess was initially told that she was likely suffering the ill-effects of either a dairy or gluten intolerance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

However, other alarming symptoms including constipation and ‘thin stools’ began to strike.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It wasn’t until 10 months after her initial symptoms struck that she was finally offered a colonoscopy \u2014 whereby a flexible camera is inserted into the rectum to obtain images of the bowel.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The scan revealed a tumour so large the procedure had to be abandoned there and then.<\/p>\n

Tess, from Sydney, was eventually diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer \u2014 the disease had spread to her liver.<\/p>\n

This comes as health chiefs are set to introduce a groundbreaking screening scheme that aims to offer long-awaited hope for those who develop the UK’s most lethal cancer.<\/p>\n

Pancreatic cancer\u2014dubbed a ‘silent killer’ due to its subtle symptoms\u2014kills just over 10,000 patients every year, about one death every hour.<\/p>\n

It is typically diagnosed at late stages, as warning signs are easily mistaken for other problems.<\/p>\n

But now, GP clinics will contact patients believed to be at high-risk of the disease, and call them in for urgent tests, in the hope of pre-empting symptoms.<\/p>\n

While pancreatic cancer is most likely to strike people over the age 75\u2014with 47 per cent of all cases in this demographic\u2014younger groups can also get the disease.<\/p>\n

Experts say the exact reasons behind the disturbing rise in these cancer cases is still unknown.<\/p>\n

However, some believe poor diets, increased consumption of ultra-processed foods, obesity and a lack of exercise or a combination of these and other factors could be responsible for the alarming trend.<\/p>\n