Top UK cancer doctors reveal 2 foods that could cause cancer in people under 50 β as early-onset cases rise by 25%
It’s a disturbing pattern that has doctors around the world puzzled: More adults under 50 are getting cancer than ever before.
According to an international analysis from 2023, the number of diagnoses in young people has increased by 80 percent globally over the past 30 years, and by as much as 25 percent in the UK.
Although the reason for this is not yet fully understood, British cancer experts have expressed their suspicions.
Professor Charles Swanton, oncologist and head of clinical science at Cancer Research UK, highlighted the emerging links between the “worrying” cancer pattern and Britons’ increasing consumption of junk food, or ultra-processed foods.
Last year, he gave a speech at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, saying that research has shown that early-stage colon cancer may be “caused” by bacteria in the gut, which are common in people who eat low fiber and high sugar.
βWhat we are seeing in some studies is that some tumors from patients with early-stage colorectal cancer contain mutations that may be initiated by these microbial species,β he said.
These mutations are thought to reduce the body’s ability to fight pre-cancerous cells.
Dr. Cathy Eng, a colon cancer physician at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, also noted that many young cancer patients also suffer from lifestyle-related conditions linked to poor diet, such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Matthew Lambert, nutritionist and health information and promotion manager at the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), told Mail Online: ‘ We advise people to eat less processed, saturated fat, sugar and salt foods. This includes foods such as cakes, biscuits, pastries, crisps, sugary drinks and fast food such as pizza and burgers.
“These types of foods contain no fiber and virtually no essential nutrients. They should only be eaten occasionally and in small amounts.”
He adds that it is not yet clear whether the risk lies in the junk food itself or in the fact that it is easy to eat a lot of it, increasing the chance of weight gain.
However, it is well known that obesity is a direct cause of a number of different types of cancer β 13 according to Mr Lambert.
Kate Middleton was diagnosed with cancer at age 42 after abdominal surgery
In addition to junk food, Professor Swanton warns Britons against regularly consuming another British staple.
The risk of colon cancer is “much higher” if you eat red or processed meat, such as ham or bacon, every day, he said at the 2015 National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) cancer conference.
His comments echoed research presented at the conference that found that people who eat red and processed meat every day have a 40 percent higher risk of developing colon cancer, compared with people who eat it once a week or less.
Dame Deborah James was diagnosed with incurable bowel cancer in 2016 at the age of 35 and died from the disease at the age of 40.
Experts believe the risk lies in substances called nitrates, which are found in meat. These substances bind with substances in the body and cause damage to cells.
Research shows that colon, breast, throat and prostate cancers have the greatest increase in patients under 50.
However, it is worth noting that the symptoms appear early on cancers are still rare. About 90 percent of all cancers still affect people over 50. In fact, 50 percent affect people over 75, even though that’s quAccording to Cancer Research UK, it is a small proportion of the total population.
The diet warnings come after an American oncologist from Duke University in North Carolina revealed that the majority of his patients are now under 45.
Dr. Nicholas DeVito blamed the rise of unhealthy diets for the changing patient population.
Nearly 75 percent of the food consumed in the US is considered ultra-processed.
Dr. DeVito has called on officials across industries and political parties to do more to protect Americans from the harmful products.
The Doctor wrote for STAT News: ‘The desire to protect Americans from substances that cause cancer and other diseases should transcend partisan preferences and political motives and overcome industry lobbying efforts.
Dr. Nicholas DeVito, an oncologist at Duke University in North Carolina, says he and his colleagues have seen a complete demographic change in recent years
‘That was possible with tobacco, and it is also possible with food.’
He added: “Certainly Americans need to make different choices about what they eat so that they put their health ahead of corporate profits and sometimes even their own convenience.”
Between 1990 and 2019, cancer cases among young people worldwide increased by 79 percent and deaths increased by 28 percent.
A 2023 study In the journal Clinical Nutrition, a ‘consistently significant association was found between UPF intake and the risk of overall and several cancers,’ including colon, breast and pancreatic cancer.
A different Meta-analyses also found that a diet high in UPFs was linked to more than 30 health problems, including colon, rectal and pancreatic cancer; obesity, which increases the risk of cancer; and heart disease and diabetes.
Dr. DeVito, who treats patients with gastrointestinal cancers such as colon and stomach (two cancers with the highest mortality rates), says diet can play “an important role” in prevention.
The oncologist wrote: ‘Nutrition can play an important role in this. Knowledge about how nutrition affects the body is therefore crucial to reduce the risk of cancer.’