The rates of cancer in millennials and Generation X-ers has been steadily climbing in recent years. New studies show that certain cancers are more likely in people born in 1990 than in people born in 1955.
Now, scientists have a clear cause behind the sharp increase of colorectal cancer in young people. Hopefully, the information can help reduce the levels of illness and death.
Early Onset Cancers
Scientists think that they can finally pinpoint the cause of what they call “early onset” cancers.
However, more research is still needed. Until then, better screening like colonoscopies for young people are recommended to stop the illness and death scourging young people of this awful disease.
What Did the Study Find?
Researchers and scientists at the American Cancer Society (ACS) looked at rates of 34 different cancers found in people born between 1920 and 1990. Specifically, they looked at how many people from that group died of the disease from 2000 to 2019.
They found that the rates of 17 types of cancer increased drastically between each new generation.
What Are the Cancers?
Previously, the ACS found that pancreatic, colorectal, kidney, uterine and testicular cancer had been increased in young adults over the years.
However, the new study found several new cancers to add to the list, including: stomach lining, small intestine, breast, ovarian, liver and bile duct, anal and kaposi sarcoma cancers.
Massive Increase in Cancer Rates
The rates of certain types of cancers doubled and even tripled in some cases. Surprisingly, cancers that seem to be reducing in the older generations were growing in their younger cohorts.
Some of the worse cancers like testicular, breast, and colorectal have become a much greater risk to millennials.
Young People Are Dying
More young people are now dying from these cancers from the leading rates of death like car accidents and gun violence. What stood out to the researchers of the study was that since many of the cancers require preventative medicine, they’re not getting the help they need.
For example, men aren’t recommended to get regular rectal examines until they’re 40. The same goes for women who need preventative mammograms to diagnose early breast cancer.
Prime Suspect
Research is still behind on exactly why so many of these cancers have become overwhelming for young people. However, the scientists at the ACS think that one risk factor is creating several of these issues: obesity.
According to the study, ten out of 17 of the cancers mentioned above are becoming more common over the generations and have been linked directly to body mass index in the people who have died.
What Obesity Can Do to the Body
Timothy Rebbeck, a professor of cancer prevention at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, says that, “When someone is obese, a lot of things change in the body, including chronic inflammation that leads to years and years worth of damage to cells and tissues in the body, which can lead to cancer.”
The MD Anderson Cancer Center notes that it might not be the body mass index (BMI) directly, but rather changes to insulin levels and sensitivity in hormones that fuel out of control cell growth that can lead to cancer.
Weight Gain Is on the Rise Around the World
The increasing rates of cancer are directly correlated with the rising amounts of obesity in young adults. Some people even have the issue during childhood, which creates a quicker timeline for growing deadly cancers in their body.
Rebbeck says of the issue, “That process of damage to your cells is starting earlier and earlier, so if there’s a 20-year lag from this obesity exposure and it starts at age 10, it’s in your 30s or 40s when cancer risk arises.”
Worse Diet Options
One of the issues plaguing young people in the world today is the wide array of addictive ultra-processed foods. The ability for most people to focus on eating a whole balanced diet is getting more difficult all the time.
Diet is one of the biggest factors that alters healthy gut bacteria and progresses the growth of cancerous cells.
Other Environmental Factors
There are several other environmental factors that increase the cases of cancers.
Unavoidable issues like pollution and radiation are all around us these days, which are also high risk factors for early onset cancers.
How To Reduce Risks
Although the rates of cancers have increased, they’re still quite rate, leaving most millennials to live happy and healthy lives. Rebbeck says that only 350 people out of every 100,000 cases of cancer are diagnosed in people between the ages of 45 and 49.
people can choose to implement small but meaningful changes throughout their lives to reduce the risk factors. For example, maintaining a healthy body weight, exercising regularly, eating a balanced diet, and avoiding ultra-processed foods can all ensure a low risk of cancer.
