Food items that increase the risk of developing intestinal cancer have been identified

Scientists from the US have found a possible explanation for the sharp increase in cases of early bowel cancer - a disease that is increasingly diagnosed in people under 50 years old. It turns out that consuming large amounts of ultra-processed foods can significantly increase the risk of developing adenomas - polyps that are considered precursors to early colorectal cancer.

As reported by BAKU.WS, the work was published in the journal JAMA Oncology.

The authors of the study from Massachusetts General Hospital analyzed data from nearly 30 thousand participants of the long-term Nurses' Health Study II project. All of them underwent regular endoscopic examinations before the age of 50 and filled out detailed food questionnaires every four years.

As it turned out, women who consumed an average of 10 servings of ultra-processed foods per day had a 45% higher risk of adenoma formation compared to those who limited themselves to about three servings. Such products include ready-made meals, sweets, snacks, semi-finished products and beverages containing increased amounts of sugar, salt, saturated fats and food additives.

"Our results confirm the importance of reducing the consumption of ultra-processed foods as a measure that can reduce the growing burden of early colorectal cancer," said the study leader, gastroenterologist Andrew Chan from the Mass General Brigham Cancer Center.

According to him, the connection appears to be almost linear: the more such food a person eats, the higher the probability of polyp formation.

In total, researchers identified 2787 cases of precancerous formations. At the same time, the connection with ultra-processed food was observed only for so-called "classic" adenomas - polyps that especially often precede early cancer. For another type of polyps that grow more slowly, such a relationship was not found.

Even taking into account other risk factors - high body mass index, type 2 diabetes and low fiber consumption - the connection between ultra-processed food and adenomas persisted. But at the same time, diet does not explain all cases of early bowel cancer, and researchers continue to look for additional causes, including molecular and genetic ones.