Cancer rates in younger adults are a growing concern. Studies show a significant increase in diagnoses among those under 50 years old, raising questions about the causes and prompting a call for preventive measures.
What environmental exposures, or behaviours of the under 50s, are causing a global increase in their cancer rates? If you don’t know about carcinogenic behaviours, are you at greater risk?
If you are under 50, what can you do to avoid being one of the fatal statistics?
“There’s been a striking 79% increase in new cases of cancer among the under 50s around the world over the past three decades (1990–2019), finds research published today in the open access journal BMJ Oncology.” That is a direct quote from the British Medical Journal.
When cancer rates among any group, rise that much over such a short period, it is likely something major has changed. ‘Something’ is causing the vast increase in cancer cases. What is that something?
Several theories are being explored worldwide. Most of the theories have something in common: they are looking at what has changed, and for the under-50s, that could be causal. Which are the prime suspects?
Obesity and a sedentary lifestyle
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), worldwide, obesity rates have tripled since 1975. Tripled. Obesity is highly implicated in the cause of a multitude of health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.
Excess body fat disrupts the body’s hormonal balance, leading to chronic inflammation, which is a hallmark of many cancers. Fat tissue secretes hormones such as oestrogen and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which can fuel the growth and spread of cancer cells.
Obesity also disrupts the body’s natural cycles of cell death, which in turn, allows abnormal cells to survive, with all the obvious potential for cancer that involves.
Some cancers have particularly strong association with obesity. Fat tissue seems to increase the risk of colon cancer. Specifically, it is thought that the increased incidence of inflammation is causing alterations to the gut biome (the ecosystem of bacteria in our guts that fuels much of our immune system).
Obesity increases oestrogen levels, which is a known risk factor for certain types of breast cancer, especially in postmenopausal women.
Obesity also appears to increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by, perhaps, contributing to insulin resistance and widespread chronic inflammation.
The lining of the uterus is sensitive to oestrogen, and obesity-related hormonal imbalances can increase the risk of endometrial cancer, which usually begins in the endometrium, the layer of cells that form the lining of the uterus.
Here’s how inactivity seems to make cancer more likely: Our level of mobility and physical activity plays an essential role in regulating hormones such as insulin and leptin. They, in turn, influence metabolism and cell growth. During prolonged period of physical passivity, those hormones become dysregulated, which appears to contribute to cancer development.
Inactivity is also associated with chronic inflammation, which, in turn, is a hallmark of many cancers. Sustained sedentary sessions trigger the release of inflammatory molecules in the body, creating an environment conducive to tumour growth.
A sedentary lifestyle weakens the immune system, making it less effective in fighting off the potential cancer threats, which emerge from other causes.
Regular physical activity is linked to a reduced risk of colon and many other cancers, perhaps by promoting healthy gut bacteria, which strengthen the immune system and reduce inflammation.
Researchers regularly find that there is a connection between physical inactivity and increased risk of pancreatic cancer and endometrial cancer.
Studies also suggest a link between a sedentary lifestyle and a higher incidence of breast cancer risk, particularly in postmenopausal women.
You might, quite rightly, ask: how can we tell whether a cancer is caused by obesity, or, by immobility, given that immobility can lead to obesity? How can we separate the causes?
Those are wise questions; surely there is a relationship between the causes. But what? Alas, at the time of writing, we still don’t know the precise relationship.
What we do know is that the under 50s, as a goup, are less physically active than previous generations and more obese, too. There are many theories as to why, including the increased availability and use of electronic devices, and easier access to labour saving devices. Whatever the reasons, both the increased obesity and decreased physical activity levels of younger adults are likely culprits in the increased levels of cancer.
Chemicals and plastics
The use of a wide range of environmental and industrial chemicals, such as pesticides, herbicides, cleaning fluids, and flame retardants, has increased dramatically. Most are suspected to be carcinogenic, for some people. They may disrupt natural biochemical processes in the body and damage DNA, thus increasing the risk of cancer. Their increased use seems to match the increased incidence of cancer. That is also the case with the increased use of, and exposure to, plastics.
The pervasive use of plastics is undeniable to even the casual observer. From food packaging to water bottles, and from clothing to electronics; synthetic materials have become part of our daily lives.
Polyvinyl chloride, PVC, is widely considered by experts in the field as both the most toxic plastic for our health and the environment. Many plastics are made with chemicals such as Bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates. BPA has been linked to hormonal disruptions, and is thought to be carcinogenic. Such chemicals seem to mimic hormones in the body. They can potentially disrupt hormonal balance and, consequently, the regulation of cell growth. Out-of-control cell growth is a primary feature of cancer.
In a few countries, some regulations have restricted the use of BPA in some products, forcing the use of replacements. Despite that, there are scientists expressing well-founded, legitimate concerns about the BPA substitutes and the long-term effects of a number of other plastic additives.
Given their ubiquity, there are several ways we might be exposed to chemicals from plastics
Leaching. Over time, especially when heated or exposed to sunlight, chemicals in plastics can leach (or seep) into the food and drinks they are designed to hold. Ingesting such contaminated products exposes us directly to the toxins in the plastics. Under 50s have been more exposed, for more of their lives, to more plastics than older people, or more exposed at critical periods of their development.
Microplastics. Plastic detritus breaks down into small particles called microplastics. Although they are not readily visible, they are omnipresent. They can contaminate our food and water. We can even breathe them into our lungs as dust. From our respiratory system, they enter the rest of the body, and can react in unknown ways. Here, too, the under 50s have been exposed to more microplastics as children than their older relatives.
Ultra-processed foods
The rise cancer diagnoses in the under 50s coincides with a substantial increase in ultra processed foods (UPF) availability and consumption. While quick and convenient, UPFs are high in saturated fats, refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and food additives such as preservatives, emulsifiers, colourants, and artificial flavours.
It seems that the more UPFs a person eats, the more likely they are to be obese and suffer a catalogue of diet induced health problems such as obesity, and, yes, cancer.
How can UPFs make us ill?
The added sugars, such as high-fructose corn syrup, contributes to inflammation and disrupt our insulin sensitivity, which in turn, seems to contribute to cancer development.
White bread, pasta, and other refined grains are deficient in fibre and nutrients. Such UPFs often have a high glycemic index, which means that they rapidly increase our blood sugar levels. That can lead to insulin resistance, meaning that our bodies struggle to utilise insulin effectively. Chronically high insulin levels are linked to increased cancer risk, and diabetes.
The trans and saturated fats that are found in processed meats, fried and baked foods, and additives found in UPFs, seem to cause, mediate or facilitate chronic inflammation, which, as we mentioned earlier, is a known risk factor for cancer.
UPFs are often deficient in essential nutrients such vitamins, minerals, and fibre, which play a crucial role in cell repair and immune function. Deficiencies in these nutrients can weaken the immune responses, which we need to protect us from tumour development.
A diet high in UPFs often leads to weight gain and obesity, which, as we noted earlier, is a well-established risk factor for several cancers.
Medications
Under-50s have access to and make more use of medicines than any previous generations. As access to medicines has increased, so have cancer rates.
That is not to say that modern medicine has killed more people than it saves; the exact opposite is true. Modern medicine allows people who would have died to carry on relatively normal lives and ameliorates many conditions that would otherwise be disabling.
However, the ever-growing number of prescriptions surely must raise legitimate concern about potential long-term side effects, including cancer risks. Particularly when there have been so many integrity scandals coming out of, and exposing the compromised ethics, of big-pharma.
The link between medications and cancer development is complex and not fully understood. Several categories of medication seem more implicated in the rise of cancer rates among under-50s than others.
While hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can alleviate menopausal symptoms, several studies suggest a slightly increased risk of cancer, particularly breast cancer, in some women with a pre-existing genetic predisposition.
That raises a wider health risk: we do not test for the effect of any new drug on every conceivable human genetic variation. That means, in all probability, we are prescribing drugs to people whose genes, are certain to cause cancer. Our ignorance is such that we don’t know which drugs will cause which cancer for those people with which genes. In other words, we are playing biochemical Russian Roulette with people’s lives.
Neither are new drugs tested for their long-term effects. That means, there are probably several drugs out there that are helping people in the short-to-medium-term, but are carcinogenic in the long term. Drug approval trials are not ongoing to investigate that risk.
Drugs that have been associated with cancer
- Oral contraceptives and birth control pills have been linked to a slightly higher risk of breast cancer.
- Chronic use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen, has been associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer.
- Immunosuppressants are crucial for organ transplant recipients and individuals with autoimmune diseases. Since they suppress the immune system, they hinder our ability to fight off developing cancer cells.
What can we do to protect ourselves?
- The biggest single protector is to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
- Eat a balanced diet, with as few plastics and chemicals as possible.
- Avoid UPFs.
- Read food labels to choose foods with as few artificial chemicals as possible.
- The more fresh foods are in your diet, the better.
- Eat at least 30 different fruits and vegetables a week.
- Eat fermented foods to ingest and feed our friendly bacteria. Avoid meat and alcohol.
- Engage in intermittent fasting.
- Stay well-hydrated.
- Take regular exercise.
- Keep our weight within safe limits.
- Get regular, good-quality sleep.
- Avoid exposure to toxins, both human and chemical, including smoking.
- Only take medications when absolutely necessary.
- Keep stress levels to a minimum.
- Develop and maintain healthy relationships.
- Focus on goals and purposes that mean something to us.
- Develop an attitude of gratitude, and stay optimistic.
None of us can totally avoid the potential carcinogens in our environment, but we can minimise our exposure and strengthen our immune systems by staying as healthy as possible.
What steps will you take today to minimise your chances of cancer?
Professor Nigel MacLennan runs the performance coaching practice PsyPerform.
