The 79% increase in cancer in young adults goes against the development of the disease as a whole.
Precisely in the group that was not considered at risk, people generally under 50 years of age, cases of the disease are increasing.
Meat consumptionBetween the first and second decades of this century, the WHO (World Health Organization) considered processed meat as a type 1 carcinogen.
The conclusion is to avoid excessive consumption of meat, especially processed meat, and eat foods with fiber.
Among these, it is worth highlighting vegetables, which, in addition to several other health benefits, also improve the chances of avoiding early cancer.
Data from a study published in the scientific journal BMJ Oncology has worried health experts. The 79% increase in cancer in young adults goes against the development of the disease as a whole. As Jorge Sabbaga, from the Cancer Institute’s Clinical Oncology, states, the data “come in a context in which the global incidence of cancer has actually been falling”.
Precisely in the group that was not considered at risk, people generally under 50 years of age, cases of the disease are increasing. The professor gives some indications of the reasons for this counterintuitive trend. Historically, the main risk group was smokers. With fewer and fewer tobacco users, the decline in cancer in old age is explained. The appearance of tumors in younger groups can have different causes, one of the main ones being the increase in obesity.
While the rate of smokers falls, the rate of obese people rises. The scenario, as Sabbaga comments, is that “these two factors work against each other” and that “this probably interferes with the increase in the incidence of cancer in younger populations”. Furthermore, as the expert adds, “a sedentary lifestyle, even without obesity, contributes to the appearance of a risk factor for cancer”.
Other possible causes are more specific. “For colon tumors, there is a great influence of the early and widespread use of antibiotics in early childhood”, says the doctor, also stating that “oral antibiotics also end up leading to an increased risk of intestinal tumors”. The reason for this is that the intestinal flora would be affected by the medications and could be deregulated.
Meat consumption
Between the first and second decades of this century, the WHO (World Health Organization) considered processed meat as a type 1 carcinogen. For comparison purposes, this classification is the same as for smoking. Eating meat, especially sausages, salami and similar processed foods, is as harmful to your health as smoking cigarettes in the long term.
Sabbaga explains that there is “a lot of relationship with the time that this carcinogen is inside the gastrointestinal tract, so eating excessively and having a stuck intestine increases its risk potential”. To avoid the high risk of cancer, there is no innovation: “Avoid eating things that are carcinogenic and eating things that stimulate the intestinal rhythm”.
The conclusion is to avoid excessive consumption of meat, especially processed meat, and eat foods with fiber. Among these, it is worth highlighting vegetables, which, in addition to several other health benefits, also improve the chances of avoiding early cancer.
