Cancer rates are rising significantly in the Midwest’s Corn Belt states, including Iowa, Nebraska, and Illinois, while the rest of the nation experiences a decline.
Cancer rates in America’s Corn Belt states have been rising alarmingly since the mid-2010s, outpacing national averages. This trend has been particularly pronounced in Iowa, Nebraska, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana, and Kansas, which are collectively known as the Corn Belt.
The University of Iowa’s Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center has taken notice of this troubling pattern and convened a panel of experts to investigate the underlying causes. Dr. Marian Neuhouser, a professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, is one of the panel members and specializes in nutrition and obesity.
“The panel came about after they noticed that the trends for cancer incidence were increasing at a faster rate in Iowa than in other states,” Neuhouser told Fox News Digital.
A recent analysis by The Washington Post, which utilized federal health datasets, revealed that cancer diagnoses in the six Corn Belt states have consistently exceeded the national average since the mid-2010s. In 1999, cancer rates in the Midwest were comparable to the national average. However, among residents aged 15 to 49, those rates are now approximately 5% higher, a divergence that began in the 2000s and has continued to widen.
The analysis, which covered data from 1999 through 2022, excluded 2020 due to pandemic-related disruptions. It drew on information from the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which monitor cancer incidence across the country.
Neuhouser pointed out that some of the cancers on the rise are preventable or can be detected through screening. Researchers are currently investigating various environmental and lifestyle factors that may be contributing to this increase.
Outdoor UV exposure and high rates of binge drinking are potential contributors, according to the Iowa Cancer Registry, which is part of the National Institutes of Health’s surveillance network. The Iowa Environmental Health Sciences Research Center has labeled the state as a “hot spot for environmental exposures to carcinogenic agents.”
In particular, the soil and groundwater in the region are reported to contain some of the highest levels of natural radon and nitrate in the nation, largely due to fertilizer use in agriculture. Both substances have been linked to elevated risks of lung and gastrointestinal cancers.
The use of pesticides and herbicides, including glyphosate, remains a contentious issue among scientists and regulators. Dr. Anne McTiernan, an epidemiology professor at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, has conducted extensive research on glyphosate and its potential cancer risks.
“Glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide, has been used in the U.S. for decades and is reported to be the most widely used pesticide globally,” McTiernan stated in an interview with Fox News Digital.
The World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified glyphosate as a “2A carcinogen,” which means it is “probably carcinogenic to humans.” This classification is the second-highest grade of carcinogen.
McTiernan’s review of studies through 2025 indicates that individuals with long-term, high exposure to glyphosate—such as farm workers—face a roughly 40% higher risk of developing non-Hodgkin lymphoma compared to those who have never been exposed. This significant increase in risk, combined with laboratory evidence suggesting that glyphosate can damage DNA and induce cellular stress, is considered strong enough to support a causal link.
Lifestyle factors are also exacerbating cancer risks in the region. According to CDC data, approximately 21% of Iowa adults report heavy or binge drinking, compared to around 17% nationally. Furthermore, the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services indicates that about 35% of adults in the state are classified as obese, placing Iowa among 19 states with obesity prevalence at or above that level. In contrast, the national adult obesity rate is approximately 40%.
Neuhouser emphasized the complexity of cancer risk, noting that 13 different types of cancer are linked to obesity. “Everyone would like to be able to narrow down cancer risk to one exposure, but cancer is so complex that it’s usually several factors working together,” she explained.
As the investigation into rising cancer rates in the Midwest continues, experts remain focused on identifying the multifaceted causes behind this troubling trend.
Source: Original article