North Carolina’s Duke University oncologist Dr Nicholas DeVito says he and his colleagues have experienced a complete demographic switch in recent years.
Numerous studies have found an association between a high ultra-processed foods (UPFs) diet and more than 30 conditions, including multiple cancers, and an early grave.
The above graph shows the change in early-onset cancer rates around the world split by female (pink) and male (blue) The above graph shows colon cancer cases among under 50s rising by more than 5,500 in 20 years.
Analyzing those reveal much of the ‘healthy’ foods people eat are teeming with artificial ingredients, classifying them as ultra-processed foods.
While the FDA is now allowed to regulate tobacco, no such power exists for ultra-processed foods in the US – unlike in Europe, which has stricter guidelines and more rigorous testing.
Speaking out about the rise in cancer cases among young people, a physician revealed that ‘every new patient’ visiting his clinic is under 45 years old.
Recent years have seen a complete demographic shift, according to Dr. Nicholas DeVito, an oncologist at Duke University in North Carolina.
Judging from his observations, conversations with patients on the ground, and data analysis, he places the blame on the rise in diets heavy on junk food.
Merely 75% of the food consumed in the United States is deemed highly processed, containing an abundance of additives and potentially hazardous components.
An early death and over 30 conditions, including multiple cancers, have been linked to a diet high in ultra-processed foods (UPFs), according to numerous studies.
The global trend in early-onset cancer rates, broken down by gender (blue) and gender (pink), is depicted in the above graph.
The graph above illustrates the more than 5,500 increase in colon cancer cases among those under 50 in 20 years. Due to fewer people coming forward for screenings as a result of the Covid pandemic, there is a decline in 2020.
According to Dr. Nicholas DeVito, an oncologist at Duke University in North Carolina, there has been a significant shift in the demographics of his field in the past few years.
To better shield Americans from dangerous products, Dr. DeVito has urged representatives of various political parties and industries to take action.
The doctor wrote this for STAT News: “To combat industrial lobbying efforts, party affiliation and political motivation should not be a barrier to protecting Americans from substances that cause cancer and other diseases.”.
“With food as well as tobacco, this is possible.”. “.”.
“To be sure, this will require Americans to make different choices about what they eat in order to prioritize their health over corporate profit and, occasionally, even their own convenience,” he continued. “.”.
The gut microbiome, or the group of beneficial bacteria in our bodies, can be altered by unprocessed foods (UPFs), or foods that have undergone multiple processing stages and artificial ingredient additions, according to preliminary research.
It has also been demonstrated that the foods irritate the intestinal walls and result in long-term inflammation.
It is thought that each of these factors raises the risk of cancer.
Worldwide, between 1990 and 2019, there was a 79 percent increase in young people’s cancer cases and a 28 percent increase in cancer deaths.
There are 87 cases of early-onset cancer per 100,000 persons under 50 in the US, making it the sixth-highest rate of disease in this age group.
Furthermore, research predicts that by 2030, there will be a 31% increase in early-onset cancer diagnoses and a 21% increase in deaths from these diseases.
Prostate and throat cancers are the two types of cancers that are growing the fastest. Colon, stomach, trachea (windpipe), lung, and breast cancers are the early-onset cancers that have the highest death rates.
Nonetheless, an American Cancer Society study found that risk factors for 40% of US cancers are modifiable, meaning that by changing lifestyle choices, cancers could be prevented.
These factors include using UPFs, smoking, drinking alcohol, and being inactive.
Though experts argue that reading ingredient labels rather than just the nutrition facts is important, it has long been known that an unhealthy diet high in fats and sugars is bad for health.
Examining those reveals that a large portion of what people consider to be “healthy” foods are actually highly processed, artificially loaded foods.
As a general rule, stay away from products with more than five ingredients and steer clear of those with difficult-to-pronounce ingredients.
A 2023 study that was published in the journal Clinical Nutrition discovered a “consistent significant association between intake of UPF and the risk of several cancers, including pancreatic, breast, and colon cancers.”.
The late Chadwick Boseman’s widow, Taylor Simone Ledward-Boseman (seen together in this photo), has cautioned youth about “vastly underestimating” their cancer risk. Her husband passed away from colon cancer at the age of 43.
After undergoing abdominal surgery, Kate Middleton was 42 years old when she received her cancer diagnosis.
An additional meta-analysis discovered that a diet rich in UPFs was linked to over thirty medical disorders, including diabetes, heart disease, and cancers of the colon, rectal, and pancreas.
Concerningly, considering that approximately 75% of US food is ultra-processed, Dr. DeVito, who treats patients with gastrointestinal cancers such as stomach and colon—two of the diseases with the highest death rates—said that food’may play a major role’ in prevention.
“Food can play a major role here,” the oncologist wrote. “Knowing ingredients, the American food system, and how one’s diet affects one’s body is critical for decreasing cancer incidence.”. “.”.
He likened UPFs to tobacco, which was legalized in 2009 after becoming widely used for almost a century. Up until the 1990s, lung cancer rates were declining after the boom.
The FDA can now regulate tobacco, but it does not have the same authority over ultra-processed foods in the US. In contrast, Europe has stronger regulations and more stringent testing procedures.
The expansion of UPFs on the market and the rise in their consumption are the results of this regulatory vacuum.
Nonetheless, Dr. DeVito thinks that “collective efforts by healthcare providers, public health experts, governments and other organizations” could have a significant effect on the UPF market and reduce cancer deaths, similar to what happened with tobacco.
Colon cancer incidence in adults between the ages of 20 and 34 is predicted to increase by 90%, according to data from JAMA Surgery.
Rectal cancer will increase by 124% in the youngest age group, according to the same data.
The author stated that it is the duty of both local and state governments to eliminate food deserts by providing reasonably priced and healthier options to fast food and highly processed foods in all ZIP codes. “.
In addition to addressing the variety and accessibility of healthier options, he urged the federal government to put pressure on the FDA to enforce stricter regulations on food processing and additives.
Doctors should advise their patients to refrain from using UPF products and have a conversation with them about its consumption. Additionally, he recommended labeling UPF products and keeping them apart from nutritious foods in grocery stores.
Dr DeVito wrote: ‘I hope to have a long career in oncology and eventually practice in an era where the US has turned the tide against early-onset gastrointestinal cancers and few, if any, of my patients are under age 50. “.
