A diet of fast and processed foods could be a major cause of colon cancer, researchers have found. The foods are high in trans-fatty acids, and there's a direct link between these and early stages of the cancer.
People who daily eat 6.5 grams or more of trans fats – which are found in baked goods, crackers, snacks and packaged foods – are 86 per cent more likely to have pre-cancerous colon polyps than those who eat just 3.63 g of the fats every day.
Researchers from the University of North Carolina made the discovery when they carried out colonoscopies on 622 volunteers, who were then interviewed about their diets.
(Source: American Journal of Epidemiology, 2008; 168: 289-97).