Junk food lover diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer at 29 fears his 's*** diet' ... trends now
A man diagnosed with colon cancer aged 29 fears he caused his own disease by eating too much fast food and red meat for years.
Joe Faratzis, now 34 and from Los Angeles, was diagnosed with stage four colon cancer in 2019 after spending years suffering from symptoms including a dull pain in his abdomen and detecting specks of blood on his toilet paper.
He is one of the victims of a mystery surge in colon cancer cases among adults under 50 years old which many doctors have attributed to poor diets and processed food.
Faratzis told DailyMail.com: 'I really think I caused my own colorectal cancer, you know, that is my personal opinion.
'My diet was heavy in processed foods and red meats, there was a lot of like processed stuff — like Subway sandwiches — and late night snacks — it really was not the best. I also did genetic testing and I am not predisposed to colon cancer.'
Joe Faratzis, now 34 and from Los Angeles, is pictured above in his 20s before the cancer was detected (left) and during treatment which began in 2020 (right)
The above graph shows colon cancer cases among under 50s by year. There is a drop in 2020 because the Covid pandemic led to fewer people coming forward for screenings
He added online: 'It's a really tough pill to swallow when you think your issues are caused by things you've directly done.
'But thinking back to when I found the tumor and the doctor said it had probably been there for about three years or so. Thinking back I was like 25 at that time and was not taking care of myself.
'I had like the s******** diet. I was eating Subway — like Subway Italian sandwiches — like non stop, like every other day I feel like because I was too lazy to cook.
'And I would eat red meat like no other. Any time I had a chance to have a steak, I mean who doesn't love frickin' steak.
'But unfortunately I think like my diet is what ended up causing my colorectal cancer.'
Numerous studies have linked a diet high in ultra-processed foods — such as mass produced breads and ready meals — to a higher risk of cancers, including colon cancer where a study suggests it raises the risk by 29 percent among men who eat the most processed food compared to those who eat the least.
Experts believe chemicals, colorings, sweeteners and preservatives added to products to extend shelf-life could raise the risk by causing mutations in DNA.
California became the first state in the US to start outlawing food additives this year that have been legal for decades in America, even after they were banned in Europe.
Yesterday, the state also started to consider a further ban on additives for schools.
Mr Faratzis said: 'I've never been told that specifically, it's been kind of alluded to... I don't have anything genetically that would cause colorectal cancer.
'So I think I have to chalk it up to being my own fault unfortunately. I hope I'm wrong but that is kind of the conclusion I have come to unfortunately.'
Nutritionists split food into three groups based on the amount of processing they have gone through. Minimally processed foods, like apples, are usually exactly how they appear in nature. Processed foods, like apple sauce, have gone through at least one level of processing that has changed their
