INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Colon cancer was the last thing on Carmen Susmans’ mind. Susman, 46, married with two young daughters, he was just hitting his stride.

“We were hiking. We were walking every day,” he said.

Susman, like most younger patients, was initially not alarmed by the symptoms.

“You just attribute that to what you ate yesterday or something like that,” he said.

But it was something much worse — colon cancer.

Doctors at the Cleveland Clinic say colon cancer has a broad range of symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhea, and weight loss, meaning it can go unnoticed for months, even years.

“We found that in young people, once they’re diagnosed with colorectal cancer, they’re diagnosed at a more advanced stage,” said David Liska, colorectal surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic.

Although one in three people diagnosed before 50 has a family history, studies have shown what you eat matters.

“Some things that have been consistently shown to increase the risk for colorectal cancer are diets that are high in red meats and excessive alcohol intake,” Liska said.

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego, found that high-fat diets change gut bacteria and alter digestive molecules, causing inflammation, and increasing the chance of colorectal cancer.

“So, I think the most important thing that they should do is just listen to their body and don’t think it’s nothing, because it could be something,” Susman said.

This story was created from a script aired on WISH-TV. Health Spotlight is presented by Community Health Network.