US cancer expert reveals ‘every new patient’ is under 45
A cancer doctor has revealed “every new patient” who comes to his clinic is under the age of 45 and has one thing in common.
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A cancer doctor has sounded the alarm on a worrying pattern, revealing “every new patient” who comes to his clinic is under the age of 45.
Oncologist Dr Nicholas DeVito, from North Carolina’s Duke University, said he and his colleague have noticed “too many” young people with cancer are attending their clinic, with Dr Devito drawing a connection with junk food.
“While the rates of some types of cancer are declining, several gastrointestinal cancers are on the rise among people under age 50,” he wrote in a piece for STAT News, titled ‘Ultra-processed foods: the tobacco of the 21st century?’”
“Even more worrisome: particularly in bile duct and stomach cancer, the rate increases with each younger generation.”
Dr DeVito noted ultra-processed food, which includes packaged snacks, soft drinks and cereal, has “emerged as a potential cause for gastrointestinal cancers”.
“In a recent review of meta-analyses, a diet consisting of predominantly ultra-processed foods was associated with more than 30 health conditions, including colon, rectal, and pancreatic cancers; obesity, which also substantially raises the risk of cancer; as well as heart disease, diabetes, and other metabolic conditions.”
Early studies have also found additives such as emulsifiers, stabilisers, sweeteners, and colours found in ultra-processed food, have been shown to alter the composition of the gut microbiome – which controls gut health.
According to an American Cancer Society, about 40 per cent of cancers in the US could be prevented by making lifestyle changes.
Ultra-processed foods represent up to nearly three-quarters of the food consumed by Americans.
In 2022, a Gallup poll found Americans reportedly averaged 8.2 meals per week at home, in a historic low.
Cancer in young people
Cases of cancer in young people are on the rise around the world.
Between 1990-2019, global cancer cases in people under the age of 50 rose by 79 per cent, according to the journal BMJ Oncology.
In the US, about 80,000 people between 20 to 39 are diagnosed with cancer each year, according to the American Cancer society.
About 9,000 young adults die from cancer each year.
In Australia, 5,302 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in adolescents and young adults (aged 15-24) in between 2014–2018.
In 2022, cancer was the 10th leading cause of overall disease burden in young people, and the second leading cause of fatal burden.
As cases in young people continue to rise in America, Dr DeVito has called on healthcare providers, governments and organisations to come together and the public about the risk of consuming ultra-processed foods and provide healthier alternatives.
“The desire to protect Americans from substances that cause cancer and other diseases should transcend party affiliation and political motivation to overcome industrial lobbying efforts,” he wrote.
“This was possible with tobacco, and it is possible with food.”
“To be sure, this will require Americans to make different choices about what they eat to prioritise their health over the profit of corporations and, at times, even their own convenience.”
Originally published as US cancer expert reveals ‘every new patient’ is under 45
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