I believe that “Colorectal cancers are killing more young people.” But I don’t believe the second part of the headline: “Experts want to know why.”
The article identifies obesity, a diet high in red or processed meats and lack of physical activity as risk multipliers but in the same sentence says that “new research is looking elsewhere.” Additional study of how to lessen the risky behaviors associated with colon cancer seems more practical than a search for more esoteric causes.
Ubiquitous and astonishingly effective food marketing turns “dietary modification” into a herculean task. But Americans have already lowered their consumption of red meat. More emphatic support from the medical-research community could accelerate Americans’ journey toward healthful eating.
Gwen Hanson, M.D., Bellevue