Young people need to pay attention to six key factors to avoid becoming victims of a growing cancer epidemic, a major report says.
They should avoid overuse of antibiotics, eat red meat no more than three times a week, use condoms and avoid drinking too much, the country’s largest cancer research organization said.
Rising rates of multiple cancers in young people are the focus of the American Association for Cancer Research’s new annual report released last night.
Cancer is thought to be caused by a combination of your genes and your environment, but about 40 percent of all diagnosed cases can be traced to one of these risk factors, the report found. Cervical cancer, for example, has been linked to the STD human papillomavirus.
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Since 1995, the number of childhood cancers has been increasing in the US, including those of the colon, rectum, cervix, prostate, breast, and endometrium.
According to the AACR report, two million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the US in 2024, regardless of age.
About 4.2 percent of these are people between the ages of 18 and 50, who are generally considered too young to develop cancer.
Cancer is thought to be caused by an unfortunate combination of genes and environment.
However, ACCR scientists say that approximately 40 percent of all cases can be linked to six different modifiable risk factors.
For young people, these include: unhealthy diet, obesity, chemicals in the environment, antibiotics, alcohol and sedentary behavior.
For starters, only about a quarter of adults and one in six high school students meet the CDC’s recommended physical activity guidelines.
According to the agency, everyone should do 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity each week, such as jogging, swimming or playing sports, and two days of muscle-strengthening activities, such as weightlifting or palate lifts.
Lack of exercise during childhood is associated with the risk of cancer as an adult.
The report also shows that diet is an important factor in the development of cancer in young people.
Diets that rely on red meat, highly processed foods and a lack of fresh produce are of particular concern, according to AACR scientists.
These recommendations have led the group to state that no more than three portions of red meat should be eaten per week.
They also say that processed meats such as hot dogs, bacon and salami should not be part of the daily diet, as they have been linked to an increased risk of several types of cancer.
Adolescents and young adults often have a less nutritious diet than older adults, and they often opt for the convenience of fast food.
Forty-five percent of young American adults reported eating fast food daily between 2013 and 2017, compared to 37 percent of adults over 40.
“Reducing or eliminating consumption of highly processed foods, fast foods, and foods and beverages high in sugar is essential to curb the obesity epidemic and reduce the burden of associated cancers,” the report said.
They also recommend avoiding beverages — such as soda, juice, canned coffee and energy drinks — that contain added sugars, which have been linked to liver cancer, colon cancer and diabetes.
Research has shown that drinking one or more sugary drinks per day increases the risk of liver cancer by 1.8 times compared to people who do not.
In response to these findings, the AACR report emphasized solutions such as a sugar tax.
Overall, the number of early-onset cancers, defined as cancer occurring between the ages of 18 and 50, has increased in the U.S. since 1995
The most recent NCI data on colorectal cancer only go through 2021, as does the latest report from the AACR. The AACR is separate from the NCI and is a government-funded charity
This method, currently used in eight jurisdictions in the US, comes with a higher price tag for drinks with added sugar.
This tax significantly reduced the amount of sugary drinks consumed in the areas, according to research by the Obesity Evidence Hub completed.
After sugar, the researchers turned to alcohol.
Excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of six different types of cancer (head and neck, throat, breast, colorectal, liver and stomach) and is associated with 5.4 percent of all cancers in the US.
Young adults who drank a lot of alcohol in early adulthood had a 1.5 times higher risk of colon cancer under the age of 50.
“Unfortunately, little is still known about the link between alcohol and cancer,” the report said.
Alcohol affects different parts of the body differently, but in general it can increase the risk of cancer by making it harder for our cells to respond to damage and change, increasing the chance that they will mutate into cancerous formations. according to Cancer Research UK.
In addition, alcohol consumption can temporarily damage the cells in our mouth and throat, making them more susceptible to other cancer-causing agents, such as cigarette smoke.
All these factors can increase the risk of overweight and obesity.
Being overweight was linked to 7.6 percent of all cancers in the U.S. Obesity is on the rise in the U.S. — up 37 percent from 2000 to about 41.9 percent in 2020.
There are 15 different types of cancer linked to being overweight or obese – from blood to brain to bladder cancer.
Losing weight may be an effective way to reduce the risk of obesity-related cancers.
The report notes that previous medical interventions to treat cancer, such as weight loss surgery, have been shown to be highly effective. It is now investigating how newer treatments, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, can help prevent cancer.
In addition to these daily habits, the researchers say other medical conditions may also contribute to the increase in cancer in young people.
This also includes the overuse of antibiotics.
Dr. Foti, the AACR CEO, said she hopes this will boost federal investment in cancer research, which she said has made “extraordinary progress” in recent years.
Early signs of colorectal cancer include changes in bowel movements, abdominal cramps, weight loss and fatigue. These are symptoms that are common to many other diseases, meaning the disease can be difficult to recognise.
Long-term use of antibiotics can disrupt the unique biology of the gastrointestinal tract, the microbiome.
This bacterial layer helps protect the gut from damage and responds to infection and disease, and can be damaged by long-term antibiotic use. This could allow cancer to establish itself more easily in the gut, the researchers theorized
Research has shown that people under 50 who use antibiotics are 1.5 times more likely to develop colon cancer. People over 50 in the same situation are only 1.1 times more likely to develop the disease.
In addition to antibiotics, the report also highlights the consequences of not vaccinating against human papillomavirus, a highly contagious sexually transmitted disease linked to cancers of the head, neck, throat, cervix and mouth.
There are several vaccines available for adolescents to prevent HPV. These vaccines have been shown to be nearly 100 percent effective in preventing girls from developing cervical cancer later in life.
However, in the US, only 38 percent of children had received one or more doses of this vaccination, compared to 76 percent of children in the UK and 84 percent in Australia.
Finally, the AACR report highlighted the risk of exposure to chemicals in the environment, but did not specify which chemicals those were.
Previous research by the National Cancer Institute has linked drinking water containing nitrates, a chemical created when fertilizers are released into the air, to colorectal cancer.
Despite these challenges, AACR CEO Dr. Margaret Foti said their report shows that cancer prevention works in most other groups. This year alone, U.S. regulators have approved 15 different new cancer treatments.
She said she hopes these findings will lead to more national investment in research.
Dr. Foti said: We hope that the 14th edition will contribute to increasing knowledge about cancer and raising awareness of the urgency of federal support for scientific and medical research.