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Some new research suggests a link between eating lots of ultra-processed foods and the risk of colorectal cancer. Researchers say that may help explain the increase in colon cancer among adults in their 30s and 40s. NPR's Allison Aubrey reports.
ALLISON AUBREY, BYLINE: A gastroenterologist at Mass General Brigham in Boston, Dr. Andrew Chan, became concerned when he started to notice a trend.
ANDREW CHAN: I would say about 15 years ago, I really started to notice that the patients I was taking care of that had colorectal cancer were getting younger and younger.
AUBREY: He and his colleagues decided to do some research. They analyzed the diets of nearly 30,000 female nurses.
CHAN: The women that consumed the highest level of ultra-processed food had about a 1.5-fold higher risk of developing a precancerous polyp compared to those women that consumed the lowest amount of ultra-processed food.
AUBREY: Polyps can be removed before a cancer develops, but they were surprised to see so many in a population of young women.
CHAN: The type of polyps that these women were at risk for we know to be the precursor or the sort of first step towards the development of a colorectal cancer.
AUBREY: Ultra-processed foods are typically packaged foods with lots of ingredients, and they often contain a lot of salt, sugar and saturated fat.
CHAN: So snack foods like potato chips and cookies and things that are prepared on the shelf for people to eat quickly.
AUBREY: And prior research has linked soda and other sugar-sweetened drinks to colorectal cancer, too. Dr. Ben Schlechter is a senior physician at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He says there's more to learn about all the factors that play a role in the development of colorectal cancer, but diet certainly seems to be one.
BEN SCHLECHTER: Given the choice between unprocessed foods, fruits and vegetables, low-sugar foods, healthier foods and more active lifestyle, those are all things that are beneficial in a number of ways and, in particular, in preventing colon cancer.
AUBREY: He says the rise in colon cancer among young adults is striking.
SCHLECHTER: For men under the age of 50, colon cancer is now the leading cause of death from cancer. And by 2030, in women under the age of 50, colon cancer's going to pass breast cancer.
AUBREY: The recommendation is that everyone 45 and up should be screened for colorectal cancer, and prevention can start much earlier in life with a focus on healthy habits.
Allison Aubrey, NPR News.
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