A recent study, conducted by researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital Brigham, as part of the “Grand Cancer Challenges” (PROSPECT) team, revealed a possible link between this cancer and ultra-processed foods, a finding that warrants further research and investigation.
By analyzing the diets and endoscopy results of nearly thirty thousand women, the team found that women who reported eating large amounts of ultra-processed foods were 45% more likely to develop adenomas, which are sometimes considered a precursor to early-onset colorectal cancer, compared to women who ate less of these foods.
Regarding the relationship between food and colon cancer, Dr. Andrew Chan, the lead author of the study, who holds a Master of Public Health, is the head of the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit, and a gastroenterologist at the Massachusetts General Cancer Center, stated the following:
* “Our results support limiting the intake of ultra-processed foods as a strategy to alleviate the increasing burden of early-onset colorectal cancer.”
* “The increased risk appears to be somewhat linear, meaning that the more ultra-processed foods you eat, the more likely they are to cause colon polyps.”
It is worth noting that the consumption of ultra-processed foods, which are ready-to-eat foods that are often high in sugar, salt, saturated fat, and additives, has increased markedly in parallel with the increase in cases of early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC).
Chan’s research team has previously discovered a link between ultra-processed foods and colorectal cancer in general, but this study is the first to identify a link between these foods and the emergence of early-onset colorectal cancer.
In the details of the research, women who consumed the largest amounts of ultra-processed foods (at an average of 10 servings per day) were 45% more likely to develop conventional adenomas, the type of polyps most associated with colorectal cancer, compared to women who consumed the least amount (at an average of 3 servings per day).
However, no association was found between consumption of ultra-processed foods and serrated lesions, another type of colorectal cancer characterized by its slow development and less common association with colorectal cancer.
Chan commented: “One of the strengths of our study is the availability of detailed information on other risk factors for colorectal cancer in participants, such as body mass index, type 2 diabetes, and low fiber intake.”
He added: “Even after accounting for all other risk factors, the association with ultra-processed foods remained.”
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