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Bowel cancer symptoms: The ‘first two' signs of the disease - ‘notice it and follow it up'

Labelled as the "most common cancer" type, bowel cancer targets almost 43,000 people in the UK. The good news is that this diagnosis can be treatable and curable. Doctor Suba M, the director of Science, Health and Wellness at Holland Barrett, has named the "first two" signs of the serious condition.

The bowel describes the part of your digestive system which plays a role in breaking down food and getting rid of waste out of your body.

Due to the location, bowel cancer can present with symptoms that appear when you visit the loo.

And being able to identify these symptoms could help spot the cancer early.

Doctor Suba has outlined the first signs linked to the disease.

Bowel Image

She said: "Usually, it's kind of blood that's mixed in with the stools that you kind of worry about [and] change in bowel habits.

"These are the first two things that you think about."

Change in bowel habits can include anything from pooing more often to having looser and runnier poos, according to the NHS.

The other common bowel cancer sign - loss of weight - "tends to happen much later", according to the doctor.

According to Doctor Suba, if these symptoms are persisting for more than two weeks, then it might be time to visit the doctor.

She added: "It's not usually just one thing and if you have bowel movements with a bit of blood, don't be alarmed, notice it but then make sure that you follow it up.

"But if you do have any symptoms, definitely get that checked out.

"Not all people who have these symptoms will end up being diagnosed with it [bowel cancer] but it's better to get it checked out."

Change in bowel habits can include anything from pooing more often to having looser and runnier poos.

According to the NHS and Cancer Research UK, other symptoms of bowel cancer include:

The NHS explains that these symptoms need to be taken "more seriously" as you get older or when they persist.

Doctor Suba said: "If you're over a certain age and you're eligible for NHS screening, please, do that, I know it feels a bit uncomfortable ...but I would highly recommend people to do that."

How can I cut my risk of bowel cancer?

The doctor shared: "The main thing is [to eat] fresh whole food and make sure that you're not taking lots of ultra-processed or inflammatory food.

"It's not about one thing because the risk is multifactorial.

"But making sure that you take as much fibre and keep your bowel moving is far more beneficial than any specific superfood.

Doctor Suba has recently helped to give the Bristol Stool Chart a makeover 25 years after its creation to help Britons understand what they are passing and get them talking about their gut health.