These foods may be driving the rise of early-onset colorectal cancer in women

You are what you eat — and it could come back to haunt you.

Colorectal cancer had long been considered a disease that primarily affects older adults, but cases in people under 55 have been steadily increasing since the ’90s.

New research suggests that certain foods may be fueling this alarming rise in young women — and men should take note, too.

“This is a message for the entire population,” Dr. Christine Molmenti, an associate professor and cancer epidemiologist at Northwell Health, told The Post.

“Everything that we eat touches our colon; good or bad,” added Molmenti, who wasn’t involved in the new study.

For the research, Harvard scientists analyzed data from 29,105 cancer-free nurses between 1991 and 2015.

Over the 24-year follow-up period, researchers identified 1,189 participants who developed early-onset adenomas and 1,598 with serrated lesions — two types of precancerous colon polyps that can potentially turn malignant.

Taking a closer look at their diets using questionnaires administered every four years, researchers found that women who ate the most ultra-processed foods had a 45% higher risk of developing early-onset adenomas.

“This is a very important finding,” Molmenti said. “[It] brings the spotlight onto a topic that has not gotten enough attention over the years, and we can now start to really talk about it in a very serious fashion.”

Ultra-processed foods, she explained, have low nutritional value and often contain additives such as artificial flavorings, stabilizers, emulsifiers, gums and synthetic food coloring.

“These additives boost a product’s shelf life, but they certainly decrease a person’s ability to lead a healthy life and do not promote cancer prevention,” Molmenti said.

While junk food has been part of the American diet for decades, Molmenti said the recent rise in early-onset colorectal cancer may stem from troubles recognizing which foods are actually good for you.

“Marketers have become smarter,” Molmenti said. “They’re now making us think that foods that we’re eating are all healthy when they’re actually ultra-processed.”

Take store-bought bread, for example. Many brands contain colorings, soybean oil, ultra-processed grains and other ingredients not found in nature — all of which may contribute to disease.

“Junk foods and ultra-processed foods can disrupt the microbiome. They can lead to inflammation,” Molmenti said. “They can lead to insulin resistance. They can lead to metabolic dysregulation so that your body and your colon are just not in sync.”

“That is why this study, I think, is showing that there is this increased risk among young women under 50 who are consuming large amounts of these foods,” she continued.

She suggested that if you conducted the same study in men, you might find a similar result.

“This does not show any disparity between men and women in terms of risk factors,” Molmenti said. “Diet and colorectal cancer is a well-established link that needs more education, more awareness, and I think this study brings that to the forefront.”

Colorectal cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for men under 50 in the US and the second-leading cause for women in the same age group, according to the American Cancer Society.

While past research has suggested a potential connection between ultra-processed foods and colorectal cancer, Molmenti said she was surprised the new study didn’t show a higher risk of developing serrated lesions the way it did adenomas.

These lesions are a key part of the “serrated pathway” to colorectal cancer, an alternative route to the development of the disease that accounts for roughly 30% of cases.

“There may be reasons behind this: biological reasons, physiologic reasons for how those polyps develop,” Molmenti said. “Maybe the exposure wasn’t long enough for that to see an effect, but that was probably the most surprising fact that that came out of the study for me.”

To avoid consuming ultra-processed foods, Molmenti said the most important step is to read the ingredients list carefully — even before looking at the nutritional information.

“If you don’t understand each ingredient, try to avoid it,” she suggested. “If you understand all the ingredients, then read the nutrient label.”

Molmenti also recommends preparing foods at home whenever possible. For convenience, she advises keeping healthy ingredients ready to eat in the fridge, like washed and cut fruits and vegetables.

“Colon cancer is one of the most preventable cancers, not only through screening, but through diet and lifestyle,” she said. “That’s where we need to educate Americans.”