Colon cancer used to be an older person’s disease, similarly for pancreatic and stomach cancer. However, over the past 20 years the medical fraternity has born witness to an alarming upsurge in the incidence of these diseases in the young. This is an unexpected phenomenon given the fact that young people smoke less, although vaping only recently widely embraced by the young is on the rise, they exercise more than their forbears, are seemingly more aware of heathy eating habits and idealise their bodies. In the USA today four out of ten adults will be diagnosed with cancer at some stage in their lifetime and for one of these unfortunate souls this will occur before they reach the milestone of their 50th birthday.
This is partly due to the fact that screening is now happening more frequently with more refined and sophisticated technology but so disturbing is this leap in cancer incidence amongst the young that the American cancer society now recommends the practice of commencing colonoscopies at the age of 45.
This early uptick in cancer statistics has got doctors and scientists spooked for a host of reasons. There is an unexpected escalation in lung cancers in young, non-smoking women for example who are often ostensibly healthy: vegetarians, long distance runners and keen swimmers. Marathon running actually boosts the immune system and protects against cancer as well as viruses and bacteria. Vegetarianism and the plant-based diet are also supposed to prevent cancer.
The Keto and carnivore diet widely championed by the young as a vehicle for spawning a healthy body often espouses red meat consumption. Although it’s rich in protein and other nutrients and might help us to feel full and eat less, cooking red meat at high temperatures releases cancer inducing chemicals called heterocyclic amines that are major contributors to breast, stomach, pancreatic, and colorectal cancer. Interestingly poultry has been shown to have a diminished association with cancer. Eating unprocessed food and excessive alcohol consumption, for women even more than one alcoholic drink daily is associated with increased breast cancer risk, are also culprits. Aside from suboptimal eating and drinking habits tinkering with the gut microbiome by ingesting frequent rounds of antibiotics might seed a vulnerable and damaged internal environment making it easier for cancer cells to take hold.
The ubiquitous presence of microplastics, a modern day evil and our constant exposure to artificial light compounded by the iPhone obsession all conspire to damage our DNA propogating abnormal cells than can morph into cancers. Being overweight can add further fuel to the fire.
As much as this troubling trend can be circumvented as the triggers are not easily explained, The Wellness Guide to Preventing the Diseases of Ageing outlines specific strategies for individual cancers that might help to abort these diseases before they take hold. Doctors are using medications like Wegovy, an Ozempic mimic, to help with weight loss in young cancer sufferers who are in remission in the hope that this will prevent cancer recurrence. Adopting an all-encompassing blueprint for preventing cancer in those we least expect to get this awful disease might be equally prudent.
