Doctors say two foods could be fuelling cancer epidemic in young people

Oncologists say two types of food could be behind the rise of cancer cases in young people.

Oncologists have been sounding the alarm about a shocking uptick in cancer diagnoses among young adults, with some pointing the finger at junk food and processed meat.

“We advise that people eat less overly processed, high in saturated fat, sugar and salt food,” Matthew Lambert, a nutritionist and the health information and promotion manager at the World Cancer Research Fund, told the Daily Mail this week.

“This includes food like cakes, biscuits, pastries, [chips], sugar-sweetened drinks and fast food like pizza and burgers,” Lambert explained.

Cancer has been hitting young people hard, especially women and adults in their 30s, the New York Post reports.

“It’s been pretty alarming to all of us,” Dr. Coral Olazagasti, assistant professor of clinical medical oncology at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, told The Post in April.

“In the past, you would think cancer was a disease of the elderly population,” she added. “But now we’ve been seeing trends in recent years of people getting diagnosed with cancer earlier and earlier.”

There isn’t just one culprit, but ultra-processed food and processed meat have drawn the most scrutiny.

Processed meats have been deemed carcinogenic to humans by the World Health Organization. Picture: iStock

Speaking to the American Society of Clinical Oncology last year, Professor Charles Swanton said research has shown that sometimes early-onset bowel cancer may be “initiated” by gut bacteria that’s more prevalent in those whose diets are low in fibre and high in sugar.

“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,” said Swanton, oncologist and chief clinician at Cancer Research UK.

It’s believed these mutations diminish the body’s ability to combat precancerous cells.

Ultra-processed foods include packaged goods, drinks, cereals and ready-to-eat products that contain colours, emulsifiers, flavours and other additives. UPFs are typically high in sugar, saturated fat and salt and devoid of vitamins and fibre.

According to a recent study, UPFs make up an estimated 73 per cent of the US food supply, and the average American adult gets more than 60 per cent of their daily calories from them.

Lambert maintains, “These types of food have no fibre and contain virtually no essential nutrients. They should only be eaten occasionally and in small amounts.”

Recent research reported that people who eat 10 per cent more UPFs than others have a 23 per cent higher risk of head and neck cancer.

Ultra-processed foods should be avoided to lower cancer risk, some experts say. Picture Supplied/SAHMRI

A junk food diet was also linked to a 24 per cent higher risk of cancer of the oesophagus, the tube that connects your throat to your stomach, which is the sixth most common cause of cancer-related death worldwide, according to the Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified processed meat as “carcinogenic to humans,” noting that there is “sufficient evidence from epidemiological studies that eating processed meat causes colorectal cancer.”

Experts believe the increased cancer risk may be caused by nitrates within the meat that combine with compounds in the body to damage cells.

According to 2015 research, 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.

“Consumption of foods containing nitrate or nitrite preservatives, smoked or charred foods, and red meat have clear associations with cancer risk,” Dr. Nicholas DeVito, an assistant professor of medical oncology at Duke University Medical Center, wrote in a “letter to the editor” submission to STAT News published Wednesday.

DeVito shared that most of his new patients have been under 45.

He blames poor dietary choices, like “fried foods, red meat and sugary drinks” for this troubling trend.

This article originally appeared in the New York Post and has been reproduced with permission.