Cancer and lifestyle
The number of deaths from cancer are going up.
Roxana Vasile, 05.02.2025, 14:00
The number of deaths from cancer are going up.
Unfortunately, the number of young people affected by cancer is also increasing. The trend is observed worldwide, according to a study that analyzes global statistics and focuses on 29 types of cancer in people aged 14 to 49. According to this study, between 1990 and 2019, the incidence of cancer increased by approximately 79%.This upward trend is also valid in Romania, where cancer is the second cause of death, after cardiovascular diseases. In the European Union, Romania ranks first in mortality in oncological pathology, with 48% more deaths than the European average and over 20,000 deaths that could be avoided each year.
Why this increase in illnesses among people, in general and young people, in particular? There are many causes. Among them – lifestyle, including nutrition, which is discussed by Doctor Mircea Beuran, an expert in medical sciences, specializing in oncological surgery at the Floreasca Emergency Hospital in Bucharest: ʺChange in lifestyle! You should know that we are observing this now as the tip of the iceberg, but there are observations from oncological studies that the changes, slowly, gradually, appeared around the 1950s, with industrialization, with the change in life in capitalist countries, with the change in toxins, diet, habits, etc. All of this, over time, against the backdrop of genetic changes that we all carry, has created the favorable ground for it to develop. This analysis, made at an international level – America, Japan, Europe – shows that cancer numbers in young people is increasing. Without relying on purely local statistics, I can tell you from the cases we have at Floreasca Hospital that in the case of young people, there is an increase in cancers of the digestive tract, esophagus, stomach, colon, rectum, small intestine, liver. Every day, the surgery at Floreasca has two, three, four colon, rectal… complicated cancers. It is linked to many things – the consumption of hydrocarbon drinks, energy drinks, alcohol, smoking, sedentary lifestyle, working under stress. Then, many are addicted to activity under blue radiation, such as the computer monitor, tablet, phone. I can tell you that some people are sleep deprived and we don’t only see this in young adults, but we also see it, from conversations with them, in their children.ʺ
According to Doctor Mircea Beuran, the most common type of cancer is colorectal cancer, which the renowned surgeon attributes to an inadequate diet: ʺI’m referring to the fact that a lot of the food we eat comes from ultra-processed things. This ultra-processing loads the respective food with a number of toxins, that it is linked to coloring, preservation, the particularity of the smell, and so on. These toxins, which cannot be neutralised, can only produce changes at cell level. These changes, over time, develop tumors. Tumors of all kinds. So eating vegetables and fruit is a must! And the food options we keep discussing are about not eating food that it is not cooked at home.ʺ
The last meal of the day should be taken around 7:00 p.m. And, Dr. Beuran says, when we eat, we should not get up from the table full, to give the body the peace it needs to process the food bowl. As for the night meals, these are out of the question. There are opinions in the international medical world that alcoholic beverages should carry on a special label, like tobacco, a warning about the risk of cancer. Dr. Beuran also believes that it would be a good thing: ʺAlcohol consumption, even in small quantities, is associated with seven types of cancer. Chronic alcohol consumption, even in small quantities, changes the body’s behavior, towards obesity. And if alcohol is added to smoking, to a sedentary lifestyle, this only leads to very important changes, starting with the oral cavity. So, these chronic alcohol consumers have cancers of the mouth, esophagus, liver cancer, they get colorectal cancer, women get breast cancer. Alcohol increases hormone levels, especially estrogen and insulin. The increase in estrogen is a cause of breast cancer, and estrogens and insulin do nothing else, as hormones, than cause a division, a more frequent multiplication of cells, which is why, at a certain point, the body can no longer control this division and they can turn into cancerous tumors.ʺ
In other words, pay attention to quantity and quality! An unhealthy lifestyle, which we follow for a long time, can have a great negative impact on our life.
