More young Indians are being diagnosed with cancer, and lifestyle may be to blame

In my clinical practice in Mumbai, over the past five years, I have observed something disquieting: an increasing proportion of cancer patients are under 40 years of age. This is not just one hospital’s anecdote — recent data confirms this trend across India. A study by Cancer Mukt Bharat shows about 20% of all cancer cases in India now occur in individuals below 40 years. Men constitute around 60% of these young patients, women about 40%. As an oncologist, I want to argue strongly that this shift is not merely due to better diagnostics or increased awareness- lifestyle factors are playing an outsized role. Dietary change, processed and ultra-processed foods Indian diets are rapidly transforming in urban areas. There is far greater consumption of ultra-processed foods loaded with pres