A newly released report by the American Cancer Society highlights a promising statistic—cancer mortality is on the decline and has been for decades. A few exceptions, however, include a particularly perplexing and alarming one: Colon cancer has been on the rise in young adults since the 1990s.
According to the report, the disease has taken the lead this year as the top cause of cancer deaths in adults under the age of 50. This begs the question: What is causing this uptick in the under-50 age group?
Research suggests poor diet may be the top culprit. There is existing evidence linking pro-inflammatory foods, such as alcohol and processed meats, to colon cancer. A new study published in Cancer Research Communications provides further data to strengthen the diet connection. The study found dietary folic acid supplementation enhances the risk of colorectal cancer in mice. In 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring all enriched grain products be fortified with folic acid by 1998 to help prevent serious birth defects, which was around the same time colon cancer began to rise in younger adults. That mandate was effective for its intended purpose, but did it come with a cost?...
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