by Pat Tigges
One-fourth of all Americans will likely die of cancer. Does that mean we’re in the midst of a cancer epidemic? Certainly not, the age-adjusted cancer death rate in the U.S. (excluding smoking) has declined 16% since 1950 while life expectancy has gone up every year (Ames, Gold, 1997).
Cancer is primarily a disease of aging and becomes an important cause of death in populations that escape other causes of death. Put simply, you have to die of something and Americans live long enough to get cancer. About 60% of all cancer cases are diagnosed in people over 65, yet that age group accounts for only 12% of the population.
In 1900 cancer accounted for less than 4% of the U.S. mortality pie. People died of other things like influenza, pneumonia, gastroenteritis and tuberculosis. Life expectancy was only 47 years. By 1990 we beat those diseases, life expectancy rose to 77 years and heart disease and cancer, both diseases of aging, became the biggest share of the pie.
In developing nations cancer is insignificant. People die of diarrhea, starvation, malaria, and complications of malnutrition. They die before they get cancer.
Cancer death figures can easily be misused to scare people. The revised version of Simone’s Cancer & Nutrition begins with a graph showing a spectacular rise in the number of cancer deaths in the U.S. since 1900. But, his graph fails to take into account a corresponding dramatic rise in numbers. U.S. population has more than tripled-from 77 million to about 270 million. Of course the total number of cancer cases went up as did everything else. But the rate per population went down!
Cancer rates in children have fallen by 60% since 1950, during the era of heavy pesticide use. Plus, children born today in the U.S. have a 20-year longer life expectancy. The main reason for this is better diet brought about by access to fruits and veggys available all year at an affordable price.
Pat Tigges Administrator of Eat First! A project of the Pacific Northwest Aerial Application Education Foundation. P.O. Box 415, Coulee City, WA 99115. Phone: 509-632-5256, Fax: 509-632-5100 . Newsletter is $25.00 per year
Reprint permission given by AgAir Update, P.O. Box 850, Perry, GA 31069 - an international agricultural aviation publication.
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