Do ultra-processed foods cause colorectal cancer? 

Principal Investigator:
Rachel Murphy, University of British Columbia  

• Sharon Kirkpatrick, University of Waterloo 
• Benoit Lamarche, Université Laval 
• Kathy McCoy, University of Calgary

Problem: Despite evidence of a link between ultra-processed foods and cancer, we don’t yet understand whether ultra-processed foods cause cancer, which ingredients in ultra-processed foods contribute to risk or how these ingredients increase the risk of cancer.

Solution: Dr Murphy and her colleagues will measure dietary intake and test blood and stool samples from a large population of Canadians, including people on diets that are high or low in ultra-processed foods and additives, to see how they differ. They will also transplant stool from study participants into models of colorectal cancer to see how the different gut bacteria resulting from the different diets may affect colorectal cancer.

Impact: Understanding how ultra-processed foods affect colorectal cancer risk could lead to policies and regulations on food ingredients that help prevent cancer, as well as to new interventions that could reduce the risk of cancer.