Researchers believe that a diet high in red meat, salt and alcohol is responsible for an 80 percent increase in cancer cases among under-50s worldwide since 1990
- Experts say a diet high in red meat, salt and alcohol slows the rise of cancer
- Advances in care have helped save 1.2 million lives in the UK, according to Cancer Research UK
According to a study, obesity and alcohol are leading to a worrying rise in cancer incidence among those under 50.
Research found that the number of cases among younger cancer patients has increased by 79 percent over the past three decades.
Growth is particularly pronounced in affluent countries such as the UK, suggesting that lifestyle factors are the main drivers.
Researchers analyzed data from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study for 29 types of cancer across 204 countries and regions.
They looked at new cases, deaths, health outcomes and risk factors in people aged 14 to 49 and estimated an annual percentage for each year.
Scientists say genetics play some role in the rise in cancer rates, but also point to lifestyle factors as contributors. They say that a high-salt diet, tobacco and alcohol are the main risk factors for the most common cancers in people under the age of 50
10-year survival rates for many common cancers are now in excess of 50 percent, and experts predict further improvements could be made over the next decade
In 2019, there were 3.26 million new cancer diagnoses among people under the age of 50, a 79.1 percent increase since 1990.
The largest increases have been in prostate and tracheal cancers, with increases of 2.28 percent and 2.23 percent per year, respectively — or more than 66 percent since 2019.
According to the results published in the BMJ, breast cancer accounted for the largest proportion of cases – 13.7 per 100,000 people.
Scientists said that while genetics likely play a role, lifestyle factors also play a role.
A diet high in red meat and salt and low in fruit and milk, as well as alcohol consumption, tobacco use, physical inactivity and high blood sugar are the main risk factors for the most common cancers in people under 50 years of age.
About two-thirds of adults and one in three children are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school, one of the worst rates in the world.
While cancer survival rates are improving rapidly for some forms of the disease, such as breast and prostate cancer, others, such as lung and pancreatic cancer, have improved at a snail’s pace
But Dr.
She said: “Fortunately, the annual death rate from early-stage cancer in the UK has been steadily decreasing, a testament to the outstanding efforts in cancer prevention and treatment over the past three decades.”
This comes after charity Cancer Research UK claimed advances in cancer treatment had helped save 1.2 million lives in the UK since the mid-1980s.
The number includes an estimated 560,000 fewer lung cancer deaths, 236,000 stomach cancer deaths, 224,000 colorectal cancer deaths and 17,000 breast cancer deaths.
dr Claire Knight, Senior Health Information Manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “It is not entirely clear what is driving the rise in early-stage cancer, but exposure to risk factors in earlier life, better cancer detection and genetics may play a role.” Part.’
She added, “We need more research to investigate the causes of early-stage cancer in certain types of cancer, such as our BCAN-RAY study, which is looking for new ways to identify younger women at higher risk of breast cancer.”