According to a new global analysis, women under the age of fifty who regularly consume ultra-processed foods have a significantly higher risk of developing intestinal polyps – growths in the intestine that can be a precursor to cancer. The researchers note that colon cancer is the only type of tumor that has been on the rise in this age group over a long period of time, so they focused on possible environmental factors.
Ultra-processed foods (UPF), usually low in fiber and full of added chemicals, have been associated with colon cancer for decades. Until now, however, there was a lack of data on their relationship to soon-to-be intestinal changes.
Researchers from the PROSPECT project, funded by the Cancer Grand Challenges initiative, analyzed the results of endoscopies in more than 29,100 women. They found that those who ate the most ultra-processed foods had a forty-five percent higher risk of colon or rectal growths.
Polyps are mostly harmless, but in a small number of patients they can gradually turn into malignant tumors. “We’re seeing more cases of colon cancer in younger adults, and we still don’t know why. Our research examines possible factors, such as diet, lack of exercise, and disruption of the gut microbiome, that may play a role,” said lead study author Dr. Andrew Chan of Massachusetts General Hospital. The results of the study were published by the journal JAMA Oncology.
