Study finds varied links between ultra-processed foods, bowel cancer risk

Study finds varied links between ultra-processed foods, bowel cancer risk

The study found that intake of ultra-processed meat products, including hot dogs and sandwich meats, was linked to higher bowel cancer risk.

An international study has found no overall association between total ultra-processed food intake and bowel cancer risk, but identified different associations among specific food groups.

The study found that intake of ultra-processed meat products, including hot dogs and sandwich meats, was linked to higher bowel cancer risk.

In contrast, whole grains, fibre, dairy, and calcium from ultra-processed foods, such as wholemeal bread and flavoured yoghurt, were associated with lower risk, according to a recent statement from Australia's QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.

Researchers also found that replacing 10 per cent of ultra-processed food intake with an equivalent weight of minimally processed foods was linked to a 2 per cent reduction in bowel cancer incidence.

The research, published in PLOS Medicine, analysed dietary data from more than 460,000 US adults aged 50 to 71 who completed questionnaires in the mid-1990s. The participants were followed for nearly 20 years, during which 10,075 were diagnosed with bowel cancer.

The researchers said the findings highlighted the diversity of ultra-processed foods and the importance of overall diet quality, including prioritising nutrient-dense foods and limiting those high in added sugars, salt and saturated fat.

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