COLON TEST AGE NOW SET AT 45

The American Cancer Society updated its guidelines for colon and rectal cancer screenings, lowering the age at which it recommends healthy adults should get their first test from 50 to 45.

The updated recommendation, published in CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians on Wednesday, comes on the heels of rising colorectal cancer rates among younger Americans.

“Among adults younger than 55 years, there was a 51% increase in the incidence of CRC from 1994 to 2014 and an 11% increase in mortality from 2005 to 2015,” the Cancer Society found.

Experts are at a loss as to why colorectal cancers are developing in younger people, although some speculate poor diet is a potential factor.