You may recall a story I wrote earlier this year about the rising cancer rate among teens in the U.K. According to an examination of data from 19 European countries by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, cancer rates have increased about 1 percent a year for children, and 1.5 percent annually for adolescents between the 1970s and 1990s. In fact, the incidence of cancer by the 1990s had risen to 140 per million for children and 157 per million for adolescents.
Although researchers say the incidence of cancer before age 20 is still rare, it is likely a complex combination of environmental and genetic factors are involved. However, they also suggest exposure to infections and changes in birth weight may play a role, as may mixing of different populations.
Sadly, increases were recorded for virtually ALL types of tumors in children. The major changes in cancer rates among adolescents came from these areas:
- Carcinomas that develop in tissues covering or lining organs of the body.
- Lymphomas that develop in the lymphatic system, such as Hodgkins disease.
- Soft tissue sarcomas that begin in the muscle, fat, fibrous tissue, blood vessels, or other supporting tissues of the body.
- Germ-cell cancers developing in the testicles or ovaries.
- Tumours of the central nervous system.
This rising cancer rate is a very important reason why you must protect and strengthen your children's immune systems. Aside from having the ability to fight off chronic disease, a strong immune system may help prevent cancer cells from forming.
One of the best ways to boost their immune systems is to eliminate sugar and grains from their diets. Eating too much sugar and too many grains, which are converted to sugar in the body, will cause their blood sugar level to rise. If a child's blood sugar level remain elevated, even mildly, over a period of time, their risk of diabetes will increase, as will their likelihood of cancer.
BBC News December 10, 2004