Overview
- Researchers reviewed 29,105 participants who completed food questionnaires every four years and underwent at least two lower endoscopies before age 50.
- Women consuming about 10 daily servings of ultra‑processed foods had a 45% higher risk of conventional adenomas than those averaging about three servings.
- On average, participants reported 5.7 servings of ultra‑processed foods per day, estimated to be roughly 35% of total daily calories.
- The association persisted after accounting for body mass index, type 2 diabetes and fiber intake, and no link was found with serrated lesions.
- Authors advise cutting back on ultra‑processed foods as a pragmatic step while investigating other drivers of early‑onset colorectal cancer and refining how these products are classified.