The Guardian view on cancers in under-50s: the risks of obesity must be confronted | Editorial

More research into the troubling rise in early onset cancers is needed. But we already know that food is among the culprits The latest findings about the rise in cancers in people under 50 , from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), are extremely concerning.

While a cancer diagnosis is bad news at any time, it is a particular blow for those in younger age groups where most people are in good health. Overlapping trends observed in England, the Netherlands and the US include a troubling rise in the incidence of colorectal (or bowel) cancer. Other diseases that have increased in England include uterine and kidney cancers. These diseases are still rare in young people: 10 times more adults in their 50s, 60s and 70s are diagnosed than those in…