A new study has shown that younger people are now more likely to get cancer. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital found that early-onset cancers, or those recognized before the age of 50, had increased dramatically globally since 1990. These cancers include kidney, liver, pancreatic, breast, colon, esophageal and colon cancers. The study’s findings were published in Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology.
Read also: India’s first vaccine against cervical cancer to be launched today
Alcohol consumption, lack of sleep, smoking, obesity and consumption of highly processed foods were all potential risk factors for early cancer. Surprisingly, the researchers found that young people are getting much less sleep now than they did decades ago, despite the fact that the length of sleep adults have not changed significantly over the years.
Early life exposure, which includes one’s nutrition, lifestyle, weight, environmental exposures and microbiota, has seen significant changes in recent decades, according to an in-depth assessment by researchers. Western diet and lifestyle were therefore excluded as potential contributors to the early cancer epidemic.
Read also: Nitin Kamath shares his wife’s recovery journey after cancer diagnosis
Since the 1950s, risk factors such as excessively processed food, sugary drinks, obesity, type 2 diabetes, sedentary lifestyles and alcohol use have increased dramatically, leading experts to believe the changing microbiome. coincides with.
In an effort to understand why so many young people are under-diagnosed with cancer, the researchers conducted a comprehensive analysis of data that was readily available in the literature and online, including details of early life exposures that contributed to this trend.
Read also: Why men are at higher risk of cancer than women
The team came to the conclusion that some of this increase in the incidence of some forms of cancer could be attributed to early diagnosis through cancer screening programs. It is impossible to determine with accuracy whether the increased prevalence ratio may be due solely to screening and early detection. However, he pointed out that it is doubtful that more screening would be the main reason for the increase in the incidence of many of the 14 cancer types.
The researchers blamed the “birth cohort effect,” which indicates that each group of people born later has a higher risk of developing cancer later in life, possibly as a result of risk factors they were exposed to at a younger age. That was, according to Shuji Ogino, MD, PhD, a professor and physician-scientist in the Department of Pathology at Brigham.
Read also: WHO shares easy ways to reduce the risk of diabetes, heart disease
According to Ogino, it was found that the risk was increasing with each generation. Compared to those born in 1950, those born in 1960 had a higher risk of developing cancer before the age of 50. This threat level is expected to increase during subsequent generations.
“Of the 14 cancer types we studied, eight were related to the digestive system. The food we eat feeds the microorganisms in our gut,” Ugai said. “Diet directly affects microbiome composition and ultimately these changes can affect disease risk and outcomes.”
However, not enough information was available from low- and middle-income countries to determine long-term patterns in cancer incidence.
(with ANI inputs)
catch all business News, market news, today’s fresh news events and breaking news Updates on Live Mint. download mint news app To get daily market updates.