Bowel surgeon reveals if you’re sitting on the loo for too long – and how doing so could be a sign of cancer
Sitting on the toilet for longer than 10 minutes could cause a range of intimate health problems — and may be a sign of colon cancer, medics suggest.
With smartphones constantly at our fingertips it’s little surprise that many of us can lose track of time when sitting down on the toilet.
However, experts have warned the common bathroom habit could not only increase the risk of hemorrhoids and incontinence, it could also indicate something far more sinister.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center colorectal surgeon Dr Lai Xue warned you should only sit on the toilet for as long as it takes to do your business.
The pressure of the toilet seat on the buttocks causes a rush of blood to the vessels in the area, he explains.
This increases blood pressure in the delicate area around the anus, raising the risk of hemorrhoids.
‘It becomes a one-way valve where blood enters, but blood really can’t go back,’ he told CNN.
Sitting on the toilet for long periods can also be a sign of colon cancer, experts warn.
With smartphones constantly at our fingertips it’s little surprise that many of us can lose track of time when sitting down on the toilet
Bowel cancer can cause you to have blood in your poo, a change in bowel habit, a lump inside your bowel which can cause an obstructions. Some people also suffer with weight loss a s a result of these symptoms
Sitting on the loo too long can also be a sign you’re having to strain to poo a habit that can lead to weakening the pelvic floor muscles, which both help with bowel movements in general and also help hold urine in.
It can also potentially lead to rectal prolapse a medical problem where straining too much causes the rectum to drop and bulges out the anus.
Gastroenterologist Dr Lance Uradomo explained how needing to spend longer on the loo to complete a bowel movement could be an indicator of the disease — which is on the rise in Brits under 50.
‘If a growth inside the colon grows big enough it can block the flow of your stool, which can cause constipation and bleeding,’ he said.
He added that over the course of his career he’s noted a rise in young people seeking help for haemorrhoids and constipation — and many of these patients were later been diagnosed with colon cancer.
Experts continued to express their ongoing concern over an ‘epidemic’ of bowel cancers.
Data shows the disease has risen by 50 per cent in 20, 30 and 40-somethings, with such cases in younger adults medically defined as ‘early onset’ cancer cases, over the past 30 years.
Oncologist Dr Shivan Sivakumar, from the University of Birmingham, previously described the situation as an ‘epidemic’.
He said: ‘There is an epidemic currently of young people (under 50) getting cancer.
‘It is unknown the cause of this, but we are seeing more patients getting abdominal cancers.’
Experts have been stumped on what is driving the phenomenon with theories including our increasing taste for junk food — and a co-current rise in obesity, affecting the health of our digestive system.
However, cancer specialists have told MailOnline this doesn’t explain the rise in the disease in young people, a significant portion of which are otherwise perfectly fit and healthy.
Bowel cancer currently kills just shy of 17,000 Brits each year with only half of those diagnosed expected to survive 10 years after learning they have the disease.
Almost 45,000 cases of the disease are diagnosed each year making it the third most common cancer.
