Cancer Rates Climbing In Younger Individuals

Today’s newsletter is based upon the article, Cancer rates in millennials, Gen X-ers have risen starkly in recent years, study finds. Experts have 1 prime suspect.

Summary:

Researchers from the American Cancer Society (ACS) have examined the incidence of 34 different cancer types among individuals born between 1920 and 1990. This study analyzed data from 2000 to 2019, looking at both cancer diagnoses and mortality rates.
The findings suggest a concerning trend: since 1920, the rates of 17 types of cancer—such as pancreatic, breast, and stomach cancers—have steadily increased with each new generation. Previous studies by the ACS had already revealed that cancers like pancreatic, colorectal, kidney, uterine, and testicular cancer were rising in young adults. This latest study adds eight more types of cancer to the list:

• Gastric cardia cancer (cancer affecting the stomach lining)
• Small intestine cancer
• Estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer
• Ovarian cancer
• Liver and bile duct cancer
• Non-HPV-related cancers of the oral cavity and pharynx (in women only)
• Anal cancer (in men only)
• Kaposi sarcoma (affecting blood vessels and lymph nodes, in men only)

For several of these cancers, including kidney, pancreatic, and small intestine cancers, the rates have doubled or even tripled in both men and women. Among women, the incidence of liver cancer has increased two- to threefold since the 1920s. While some cancers had previously been in decline for older generations, including certain breast and testicular cancers, the study found they are once again becoming a greater risk for younger populations like millennials and Gen X.
Additionally, the study highlights a rise in mortality rates for certain cancers among younger people. Deaths from colorectal, gallbladder, testicular, and uterine cancers have increased across generations, as has the fatality rate from liver cancer in women. Lead author Hyuna Sung, a senior scientist with the ACS, emphasizes that this increase in both diagnoses and deaths points to a real rise in cancer risk—not merely a result of better screening or diagnosis. Instead, the rising cancer incidence seems to outpace advancements in detection and treatment.

What is to blame?

The researchers suggest that a combination of obesity and blood sugar imbalances are the main culprits. Although obesity and insulin resistance are commonly found together, you can have one without the other.  It is so important to LIVE a lifestyle that encourages a high percentage of muscle compared to fat and that keeps your insulin levels in the low normal range.

What can you measure to see if you’re at risk?

• Know your hemoglobin A1c levels (HgA1c)– Optimally you want your levels at 5.4 or below.  5.7 is a prediabetic state.  6.5 or higher classifies you as diabetic.  HgA1c is a measure of your average blood sugar.
• Know your bodyfat % – Optimal bodyfat % changes as we age but here are some guidelines.
  • Males Below 55yo – under 25% is adequate but under 20% is optimal
  • Females Below 55yo- Under 30% is adequate but between 20-25% is optimal.
  • For every decade of life after 55, add another 1-2% bodyfat allowance.

We can go down many rabbit holes of details concerning optimal bodyfat and blood sugar levels but the goal here is to simply get you to think about your lifetsyle and the steps you are taking on a daily basis to lower your risk of cancer and increase the likelihood that you’re going to enjoy life as you age.

Although 20% of cancers will occur no matter how hard you’ve worked, I suggest playing the odds with a great lifestyle and measuring the results of your lifestyle to make sure you’re doing your best.

If you want to know your bodyfat and HgA1c levels, simply ask me to test you at your next visit.  I have a Bodyfat analysis device that is highly accurate and I can send you for a blood test to measure your ability to manage sugar properly.