Overview
- The analysis used 24 years of Nurses' Health Study II data, covering 29,105 women who underwent at least two lower endoscopies before age 50.
- Women consuming about 10 daily servings of ultra-processed foods had a 45% higher likelihood of conventional adenomas than those consuming about three.
- No association was found for serrated lesions, a different colorectal cancer precursor.
- The link persisted after accounting for other risk factors, including body mass index, type 2 diabetes, and low fiber intake.
- Participants averaged 5.7 daily servings (about 35% of calories), and the authors say these foods do not fully explain rising early-onset colorectal cancer, calling for replication and better exposure classification.