Being overweight during childhood and early adulthood significantly raises the risk of developing bowel cancer later in life, new research reveals. 

Even more worryingly, babies born at a higher weight are also more likely to develop the disease as adults, the study also found.

The research sheds light on cancer's early origins, offering insight into a disease that develops over decades, rather than months or years, said experts.

The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, found that every five-point increase in BMI above the healthy range between ages 18 and 25 raised bowel cancer risk by 12 per cent.

In young people between the age of 10 and 19, an increased BMI was linked to a five to 18 per cent risk of developing the disease. 

In children aged two to nine, high BMI was also linked to a higher risk.

Meanwhile, each 1kg increase in birth weight beyond the healthy range was linked to a nine per cent bowel cancer risk.

Dr Dieuwertje Kok, Associate Professor of Nutrition and Cancer at Wageningen University & Research, who led the research, added: 'While the link between adult body size and bowel cancer is well established, the impact of body size earlier in life is less clear.

'This study bridges the existing knowledge gap and enhances our understanding of how early life factors may affect colorectal cancer risk in adults.'

The news comes amid an explosion of bowel cancer cases in under 50s which has baffled and alarmed medics and the public.

Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with almost 44,000 new diagnoses every year.

In the US, there are about 107,320 new cases of colon cancer 46,950 new cases of rectal cancer, estimate the American Cancer Society.

Diagnosis are on the rise, however the alarming trend isn't universal across all age groups. 

NHS figures for England show bowel cancer rates have increased fastest among men aged 40 to 44 over the past five years. 

In 2019, 283 men in this age group were diagnosed with the disease. This equated to a rate of 16.6 per every 100,000, or one in every 6,000. 

Yet by 2022, the most recent year figures are available for, this soared 57 per cent, with 26.1 diagnoses per every 100,000 men aged 40 to 44. 

That is the equivalent of one in every 3,800 men in their early 40s being diagnosed with the disease each year. 

There are several other early origin factors being found to be linked the disease as researchers urgently try to determine the cause for the rise in cases.

This latest finding comes a month after researchers found a common food bug picked up in childhood may be fueling colon cancer.

A bombshell study found E.coli, a foodborne bacteria may be fueling the epidemic in young people.

The bacteria infects around 75,000 to 90,000 Americans each year and at least 1,500 Britons.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego analyzed DNA from young colon cancer patients which

They found unique genetic changes in their digestive tracts that appear to raise the risk of tumors forming.

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 such as romaine and spinach are another major culprit, often contaminated in the field through tainted water or contact with livestock.

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

Raw milk and other unpasteurized dairy products also pose a risk, along with raw produce like apples, cucumbers, and especially sprouts — which provide the perfect warm, moist environment for bacteria to thrive.

E. Coli can also sneak in through contaminated water, which may be used to irrigate crops or clean equipment, and poor kitchen hygiene can help it spread to other foods like poultry.

Ludmil Alexandrov, senior study author and professor of cellular and molecular medicine at the University of California San Diego, said: 'These mutation patterns are a kind of historical record in the genome, and they point to early-life exposure to colibactin as a driving force behind early-onset disease.

'This reshapes how we think about cancer. It might not be just about what happens in adulthood—cancer could potentially be influenced by events in early life, perhaps even the first few years.

'Sustained investment in this type of research will be critical in the global effort to prevent and treat cancer before it's too late.'

The most recent analysis is part of World Cancer Research Fund International's Global Cancer Update Programme.

Experts in the Netherlands reviewed 37 studies on body weight in early life and the risk of colorectal cancer – also known as bowel cancer – in adults. 

Dr Helen Croker, assistant director of research and policy at the World Cancer Research Fund, added: 'Cancer is a complex disease which develops over several decades, so better understanding of its early origins is critical for more effective prevention efforts and understanding the research gaps.

'The results of this study show that raised body mass index across childhood through young adulthood is an important risk factor for colorectal cancer.'