A disturbing realization has struck us in recent years: more and more friends or acquaintances are diagnosed with diseases that we associated, until recently, with older age, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes or, perhaps, the word we all fear to say: cancer.
Millennials (people born between 1981 and 1995) are the first generation with higher risk of developing tumors than their parents. Between 1990 and 2019, early-onset cancer cases (before age 50) increased by 79% worldwide, and mortality rose 28%.
The truth is that about 80% of cancers are “sporadic”that is, they do not result from hereditary mutations, but from external factors that damage DNA over time. This includes what we eat and breathe, physical activity level, rest, stress and exposure to harmful substances.
In short, it explains Lydia Gilprofessor of Immunology and Cancer Biology at Universidad San Jore in an article in , what weighs the most It is not genetics that we inherit, but the lifestyle that surrounds us every day.
And we know well that the way of life of our parents and grandparents was very different from ours,
The impact of food on the body
One of the main factors behind this “new epidemic” is the food. Childhood obesity began to skyrocket in the 1980s. In 2022, more than 390 million children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 19 had overweightand 160 million were obese, according to one from the WHO.
This problem is far from being just an aesthetic issue: is associated with insulin resistance, chronic low-grade inflammation and hormonal changes that increase the risk of developing colon, breast or endometrial cancer.
The most worrying thing, says Lydia Gil, is that the harmful effects of childhood obesity don’t disappear with age.
In 2019, a study involving more than 4.7 million people showed that those who had a high body mass index (BMI) in childhood present, as adults, a 39% higher risk of colorectal cancer in men and 19% higher in women, compared to those who had a healthy BMI as a child.
As dietary changes They also changed our intestinal microbiota. Diets rich in ultra-processed foods have been shown to reduce bacterial diversity and increase the proportion of strains that produce pro-inflammatory metabolites.
This contributes to gastrointestinal diseases like irritable bowel syndrome or SIBO, which seem almost endemic among millennials — just ask a group of thirty-somethings who have digestive problems to realize that few hands are left unraised.
The invisible effects of alcohol
O The second biggest culprit is alcoholas many meetings between millennials revolve around a table full of food and drinks. For years it was believed that a glass of wine “protected”and some form, but recent studies have shown that alcohol consumption.
A da International Agency for Research on Cancer considera o alcohol as a Group 1 carcinogen, the same level as tobacco — this is because the organism transforms ethanol into acetaldehydea compound that damages DNA.
Furthermore, the consumption patterns differ between generations. While baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1964) drink more regularly, millennials tend to drink less frequently, but in larger quantities per occasion (so-called binge drinking)which carries significant risks.
EADES 2024 from the Spanish Ministry of Health confirms these differences and the risk levels associated with each behavior.
Furthermore, a recent published in Environmental Science & Technology detected the presence of perfluoroalkylated substances (PFAS) in many beers. These compounds, known as “eternal chemicals”, are associated with a greater risk of testicular and kidney cancer.
We sleep less — and worse
The millennial generation sleep less and worse than the previous ones. Recent studies show that millennials and generation Z sleep 30 to 45 minutes less on average per night than baby boomers, largely due to nighttime exposure to screens and social media. Artificial light inhibits the release of melatoninan antioxidant hormone that regulates the cell cycle.
Chronic lack of sleep not only impairs DNA repair, but also reduces the protective effects of melatonin against cancer. Low levels of this hormone are associated with a lower ability to counteract oxidative damage to DNA and an increase in cell proliferation.
Furthermore, the disruption of circadian rhythms interferes with the expression of genes essential for DNA repair, which leads to the accumulation of mutations and, in the long term, an increased risk of tumor formation.
The weight of stress
Millennials are probably the generation with higher cortisol levels. When this “stress hormone” remains high for long periods, it not only promotes insulin resistance and hypertensionas it weakens the immune system.
Research shows that chronic stress increases inflammationmakes it difficult to eliminate abnormal cells and can even “wake up” dormant tumor cells.
One published 2019 in Psychoneuroendocrinology indicates that people with high levels of stress have even twice as likely to die from cancer compared to those that manage stress better.
The risks of self-medication
Finally, younger generations resort to self-medication more frequently than previous generations, behavior that brings risks both in the short and long term. The frequent use of paracetamol is associated with an increased risk of liver injury and possible llink to the increase in liver cancer.
Os oral contraceptivesused for prolonged periods due to the postponement of motherhood, slightly increase the risk of breast cancer and cervical cancer, although they offer some protection against ovarian and endometrial cancer.
Furthermore, the continued use of antacids and antibiotics It has been associated with a greater risk of digestive cancer, through indirect mechanisms, such as the formation of carcinogenic compounds or intestinal dysbiosis (microbiota imbalance).
What awaits millennials?
The predictions are worrying. Cancer cases are estimated to increase from around 20 million in 2022 to almost 35 million in 2050, a global increase of almost 77%. The trend is especially marked in digestive and gynecological tumors, which are increasingly common in young adults.
We are the generation of rushanxiety and miracle pills. But all is not lost: we can still control many of the factors that make us sick, starting today.
Adopt healthier habits it can reduce risks and improve quality of life — in a future that, after all, is not as far away as we would like to think, concludes Lydia Gil.
