Alarming rise in cancer in Australian Millennials

Obesity is being blamed for an alarming rise in the rate of five cancers in Millennials over the past 30 years.

There has been an alarming rise in five different types of cancers in Millennials over the past three decades.

The increase in bowel, kidney, uterus, gallbladder and pancreas cancers diagnosed in 30-39 year olds between 1991 and 2021 has been published in a new analysis snapshot by The Daffodil Centre.

More than 15 out of 100,000 Australians in the age bracket were diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2021 compared to six in 100,000 30 years before – an increase of 153 per cent.

All five increases are strongly associated with deteriorating diets, obesity and physical inactivity, the Australian Financial Review reported.

There has been a rise in five different types of cancers in Millennials.

Professor Graham Giles, a distinguished research fellow at the Cancer Council of Victoria, told the publication that Australia had a burgeoning epidemic of obesity with dire consequences.

“The efforts required to improve this would be similar in scope to those required to alter the course of the Titanic or ameliorate climate change,” he said.

About 12.5 million adults in the country are overweight or obese, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

The analysis – seen by the AFR – also revealed gall bladder cancer cases in Aussies in their 30s rose 200 per cent in the 30 years (0.1 cases per 100,000 people to 0.3 cases).

Uterine cancer cases rose 168 per cent (1.9 to 5.1), kidney cancer cases rose 89 per cent (1.9 to 3.6) and pancreas cancer cases rose 83 per cent (0.6 to 1.1).