Doctor reveals self-check that shows when bleeding on toilet is serious as under 50 colon cancer rises

Sorry to get deep lads, but your health should always be one of your absolute priorities in life.

And while it’s not always necessarily under your control, there are things you can do to keep healthy, where you can and keep track of how you’re doing.

Keeping an eye out for certain symptoms, sleeping positions, and doing little self-checks can help you spot the warning signs of any underlying conditions.

So, a doctor has revealed the check you can do that shows when any bleeding on the toilet is serious.

This comes as cases of colon cancer (often known as bowel cancer) in those under 50 is on the rise.

NHS surgeon Dr Karan Rajan is one of the biggest health and science creators on social media and shared medical advice on TikTok.

In one TikTok, he reacts to a video from ‘Colon Cancer Amigo’ to explain the difference ‘between bleeding from colon cancer versus haemorrhoids’.

Showing an image of the content creator’s demonstration of food colouring in the toilet bowl, the doctor says: “Blood from colon cancer is often dark red and maybe even black and tarry because it comes from higher up in the digestive tract, giving it more time to oxidise and darken.”

He then shows the users image of loo roll with a couple of tiny red dots, created by a marker pen.

“Bleeding from haemorrhoid is typically bright red,” Dr Rajan says, “because these come from swollen veins near the anus or rectum.”

The doctor also explains that you can spot a sign of colon cancer because the blood may also mixed into poo, ‘giving the stool a darker or streaked appearance'.

“Whereas haemorrhoid blood usually appears on the toilet paper after wiping, on the surface of the stool or even as drops in the toilet bowl, rather than being mixed into the stool,” he says.

So, he comes up with the comparison that blood from a haemorrhoid is more like a ‘pizza topping’, whereas from colon cancer it’s ‘baked into the dough’.

Dr Rajan also lists some other symptoms of colon cancer, in addition to the bleeding: “Diarrhoea, constipation, abdominal pain, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, etc.”

Whereas haemorrhoids only cause ‘local bum symptoms’ including: “Itching, rectal pain, and maybe even a lump.”

But no matter what, if you’re experiencing persistent rectal bleeding, you should get it checked out.

Earlier this year, figures found bowel cancer (often referred to as colon cancer) was rising in those under the age of 50.

However, Sophia Lowes, at Cancer Research UK, told The Guardian: “It’s important to remember that the overall number of people dying from the disease under 50 is still quite small. Around 5% of UK bowel cancer deaths are in people aged 25 to 49, with most people who die from the disease in the UK being older.”