Study offers clues on rise of colorectal cancer in women under 50

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Women who eat more ultra-processed foods on a daily basis have a greater risk of developing colorectal polyps before age 50 when compared with women who consume far less of the processed foods, a new study has found.

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While not every colon polyp turns into cancer – in fact, they usually don’t – the findings do suggest one possible reason that colorectal cancer rates are on the rise in adults under 50. Ultra-processed food often contain less fiber and more sugar, salt, fat and additives than minimally processed or whole foods.

The observational study found that women who reported consuming nine to 10 daily servings of ultra-processed foods seemed to have a 45 percent greater likelihood of getting colon polyps before the age of 50 – as compared with women who had the least amount of ultra-processed foods (three servings a day, on average).

The study’s results highlight an association and not a cause-and-effect relationship, said Andrew T. Chan, the senior author of the study and a gastroenterologist at the Mass General Brigham Cancer Institute.

“It gives us some clues into the potential role of diet in the development of early-onset colorectal cancer precursor lesions,” Chan said. “And I think it is probably the best available data we have now.”