The majority (60%)of cancer patients are diagnosed when they are 65 or older. We have seen an increase in cancer rates for people under 60. This cancer rate increase is worldwide and while seeing a decrease, between 2000 and 2019 of total cancers in older adults, there was an 18 percent in cancer rates for younger people. The largest increase was for young adults between 15 and 39 years of age. The increase was 20% and this is beyond results that could be expected from increased screenings.
Our change in lifestyles and environmental exposure may have a lot to do with the increases. At 40 years of age, most of the toxic food production chemicals were just being introduced. The same is true for ‘forever chemicals’, food additives, plastic in our food and numerous other toxic substances. At 80 plus years of age, I have the same exposure, but it did not occur while I was developing in the womb and maturing as an individual.
There is another factor. It seems that. According to an article from “The Hill”;
“obesity, which has climbed steadily since the 1960s and become more common in childhood and adolescence. Many of the cancers rising among younger people have been tied to obesity, including breast cancer and uterine cancer, as well as colorectal cancer and several others impacting the gastrointestinal tract.”
They go on to say;
“The increases in obesity-related cancers have been more “dramatic” than those among other types, suggesting obesity is a “big contributor” to the spike in early-onset cases … Beyond obesity itself, researchers believe a number of related factors could be involved: Westernized diets, sugar-sweetened beverages, red and processed meat, sedentary lifestyles, a decline in physical activity, metabolic conditions like type 2 diabetes”.
Although there is a higher success rate in survival of the younger cancer patients, the possibility of getting cancer again is higher, especially for colorectal cancer. They also have to deal with reduced physical and mental abilities and face greater risks of depression.
Once again, we see the introduction of toxic food production chemicals, ‘forever chemicals’, food additives, plastic in our food and numerous other toxic substances as part of our food as possible contributing factors. In addition, overeating sparked by the need for scarde nutrients contributes to obesity another contributing factor. These factors can be reduced by the introduction in our diet of organic food raised through regenerative agriculture farming methods. We encourage you to read our book “How the Food Industry is Killing Us” available everywhere including for free from your library.