Overview
- Women reporting the highest intake of ultra-processed foods had a 45% greater risk of conventional adenomas than those with the lowest intake, according to the JAMA Oncology paper.
- The signal was specific to conventional adenomas, which are more closely tied to early-onset colorectal cancer, with no association seen for serrated lesions.
- Researchers analyzed repeated diet questionnaires and endoscopy-confirmed outcomes, comparing roughly 10 daily servings versus about 3 among the highest and lowest consumers.
- Participants averaged 5.7 servings of ultra-processed foods per day, accounting for about 35% of total calories, slightly below the U.S. average reported by the authors.
- The authors caution that the observational design and a cohort of predominantly white female nurses limit generalizability, and they plan studies to refine food classification and probe additional risk factors.