(Daily Mail) It’s the disturbing pattern that’s baffling doctors around the globe: More adults under 50 are getting cancer than ever before.
Over the last 30 years, young diagnoses have shot up by 80 per cent across the globe, and 25 per cent in the UK, according to a 2023 international analysis.
While the reason for this isn’t yet totally clear, UK cancer experts have made their suspicions known.
Professor Charles Swanton, oncologist and Chief Clinician at Cancer Research UK has highlighted emerging links between the ‘disturbing’ cancer pattern and Britons’ increasing consumption of junk food, or ultra-processed food.
Speaking at the American Society of Clinical Oncology last year, he said studies have shown that some early-onset bowel cancer may be ‘initiated’ by bacteria in the gut that’s prevalent in those who eat low fibre, high sugar diets.
‘What we are seeing in some studies is some tumours from patients with early-onset colorectal cancer harbour mutations that might be initiated by these microbial species,’ he said.
These mutations are thought to reduce the body’s ability to combat pre-cancerous cells.
Dr Cathy Eng, a bowel cancer doctor at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre in Nashville, also noted that many young cancer patients also suffer lifestyle-related conditions linked to poor diets, like high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Matthew Lambert, nutritionist and health information and promotion manager at World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) told Mail Online: ‘We advise that people eat less overly processed, high in saturated fat, sugar and salt food. This includes food like cakes, biscuits, pastries, crisps, sugar-sweetened drinks, and fast food like pizza and burgers.
‘These types of food have no fibre and contain virtually no essential nutrients, they should only be eaten occasionally and in small amounts.’
He adds that it isn’t yet clear whether the risk lies in junk food itself or the fact 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 cancers — 13 according to Mr Lambert.
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Aside from junk food, Prof Swanton has warned Britons of regular consumption of another British staple.
Bowel cancer risk is ‘much higher’ if you eat red or processed meats, like ham or bacon, every single day, he said at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) Cancer Conference in 2015.
His comments followed a study presented to the conference that showed people who eat red and processed meat every day are 40 per cent more likely to get bowel cancer, compared to those who eat it once a week or less.
