India, Aug. 21 -- The news of 29-year-old entrepreneur Monika Choudhary has triggered a wave of concern online. In a heartfelt Instagram post (see inset), she shared how her once health-conscious lifestyle gave way to long working hours, stress, and burnout, until a devastating diagnosis of Stage 4 colorectal cancer changed everything.

Decades of research have established that chronic stress triggers chemical changes in the body, such as raising blood pressure, hormone levels, and inflammation that may increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Now, cancer has emerged as a growing concern. The National Cancer Registry Programme Report 2020 had estimated that cancer cases would increase by 12.8% by 2025 as compared to 2020.

Monika'...