Britain is facing a cancer time bomb under the age of 50 due to poor diet and poor gut health – and ultra-processed food could be to blame
Research shows that poor diet and gut health are causing Britain to experience an increase in cancer rates under the age of 50.
More young people than ever are developing cancer, and diagnosis rates have risen by a quarter in twenty years.
About 100 younger people every day – 35,000 per year – are being diagnosed with an increasing number of cancers that are common in older people, such as colon, breast and stomach cancer.
Scientists believe the ‘disturbing’ trend may be linked to people eating too many ultra-processed foods. For example, rising rates of colon cancer may be linked to changes in the gut microbiome that reduce the body’s ability to deal with pre-cancerous cells, according to research presented at the world’s largest cancer conference.
Poor diet and gut health mean Britain is facing a rise in cancer rates under the age of 50, research shows (stock)
Professor Charles Swanton, Chief Physician at Cancer Research UK (pictured)
Professor Charles Swanton, chief medical officer at Cancer Research UK, said cancer still mainly affects older people, but scientists are alarmed by its increasing presence in younger people.
Speaking at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, he said: ‘Over recent decades there has been a marked increase in the incidence of cancer in young adults in Britain.’ He added: ‘We don’t have a good answer as to why this is happening.’
The incidence rate of ‘early onset’ cases grew from 132.9 per 100,000 people in 1995 to 164.6 in 2019, according to Cancer Research UK analysis of the latest data.
The overall incidence rate for all ages increased by 13 percent during this period, from 539 per 100,000 people to 611.5.
The incidence rate of ‘early onset’ cases grew from 132.9 per 100,000 people in 1995 to 164.6 in 2019, according to Cancer Research UK analysis of the latest data (stock)
About 100 younger people every day – 35,000 per year – are being diagnosed with an increasing number of cancers that are common in older people, such as colon, breast and stomach cancer.
Research from Ohio State University presented at the meeting in Chicago found that under-50s with colon cancer had cells that appeared 15 years older than their actual age.
It suggests that Western diets affect the balance of bacteria and inflammation in the gut, which can cause ‘accelerated aging’ in the colon.
Dr. Cathy Eng, a colon cancer doctor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, said the disease’s rise among people over 50 is being seen worldwide, and otherwise healthy patients are increasingly developing advanced colon cancer in their 20s, 30s and early 40s. .