Ultra-processed foods and colorectal cancer, doctor discusses study | FOX6 News Milwaukee

Researchers have found a link between ultra-processed foods and the rise in colorectal cancer. Scientists followed more than 29,000 female nurses under the age of 50. Those who ate more ultra-processed foods had higher risks of developing abnormal clumps of cells that can develop in the colon cancer. Pretty fascinating stuff. So to break this down, we have invited Dr. Jeff Potoff to join us, UW Health's Chief Quality Officer. Doctor, great to see you. Here we go, another study that says we need to watch what we eat. Yeah, you know, we've talked about this a couple times. Ultra-processed foods, we've talked about younger people getting colon cancer. This study kind of marries those two together. So young people, age 24 to mid-40s, these are women, they fill out a survey every four years about their diets. And as you can imagine, especially in the United States, a lot of ultra-processed foods, but some people not. And then if you go on to compare what was found on their colonoscopy done before age 50, women who had the high ultra-processed foods, 1.5 times more likely to have adenomas. Now, adenomas themselves, not cancer, but most cancers come from adenomas. So just another study that shows we really got to be paying attention to what we're putting in our bodies, particularly super yummy, easy ultra-processed foods. There's been a lot of focus on colon cancer, but especially in men. And this was an interesting study because it looked at female nurses. I don't know why they were looking at nurses. But, I mean, could you say the same thing would happen with men? I mean, can you say definitively? No, they didn't do that study, but I sure wouldn't bet against it if I was in Vegas. I think these effects probably are manifest in both men and women. Yeah. So we really, I mean, it's hard not to eat. I'm just looking up what's at the snack room upstairs. It's everywhere, ultra-processed food. Yeah. There may be a major breakthrough for those who suffer from lupus. Tell us about this new study. You know, this is interesting. We're going to pick on Epstein-Barr virus here. You know, the trick with Epstein-Barr virus is it's, like, everywhere. Like, most all of us are exposed to it before we get very old. What researchers did is they looked at these individuals who had lupus, and they looked to see if they'd been infected with Epstein-Barr virus. And they can actually tell that that virus that kind of lays latent in your cells, kind of like chicken pox does to cause shingles later, was creating these anti-nuclear antibodies, which is kind of the antibodies that cause lupus. So, you know, whether all lupus is caused by this, whether you need to be someone who is pre-programmed to create these antibodies, if you're infected with Epstein-Barr, we don't know, but there's probably a link here. Yeah, and what I thought was interesting, some of the researchers say lupus is mysterious, like still a lot unknown there. You know, it kind of is, like, it's difficult to diagnose. We don't necessarily know why some people get lupus, why some people don't get lupus. A lot of these autoimmune diseases are a little bit sneaky that way, where they're difficult to diagnose, and we just don't understand them as well as, say, diabetes or heart attacks. Yeah, people are looking into it. All right, of all the things that were sent my way in the health world today, explain this to me. A guy who's allergic to meat gets bit by a tick and dies. What is going on here? Because there's new research into some sort of connection here. Yeah, so fasten your seat belt. So here's the crazy thing. We have ticks, particularly the Lone Star tick, which is thankfully not super common in Wisconsin. It eats on, say, a deer or a cow, and that blood gets in the tick. Now, these animals, cows, deer, they have this protein called alpha-gal, and we do not have that as humans. So now when the tick comes over and bites you, you get this alpha-gal protein injected in your system, and your immune system goes, this is no good, I'm gonna create a robust response if I see this again. So, you know, three weeks later, you eat a T-bone, and your immune system says, this is that crazy protein that I was exposed to, I'm gonna make you sick. Now, most people just get GI symptoms, diarrhea, stomach cramps, things like that. Some people get hives. This one case, the individual got anaphylaxis, so like the same reaction you get if you were stung by a bee and were allergic to it, and it killed them. So, really kind of a crazy story, a set of events that needed to unfold to have this happen, but it is kind of a message to healthcare providers who don't see this very often, to have this alpha-gal syndrome on your radar, and think about maybe more serious allergic reactions. As if I needed another reason to go vegetarian. That is wild. Dr. Jeff Potthoff, good stuff today. Appreciate your time. Thank you.