A new national poll highlights a surprising gap in public awareness about a major dietary risk factor for colorectal cancer.
Many Americans still do not realize that processed meat is linked to colorectal cancer, according to a new poll.
The survey, from the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and Morning Consult, found that nearly half of Americans are unaware that eating processed meat raises the risk of colorectal cancer. Once people were told about that connection, support for stronger consumer warnings was high. Among 2,202 U.S. adults surveyed from Feb. 9 to 11, 2026, two in three said they would back warning labels on processed meat products that mention colorectal cancer risk.
That gap in awareness matters at a time when colorectal cancer is drawing increased concern, especially among younger adults.
“In light of colorectal cancer now being the leading cause of cancer deaths in adults under 50, it’s concerning that so many people still don’t know about the strong connection between eating processed meat and the risk of developing colorectal cancer,” said Joseph Barrocas, MD, an internal medicine specialist from Huntersville, N.C.
Growing Interest in Health Information
Despite the knowledge gap, the survey also suggests that many people want clearer health guidance. According to Dr. Barrocas, the results indicate that the public is interested in learning more about how diet affects cancer risk.
The poll found that only about one-third of adults say a health care professional has talked with them about the link between processed meat and colon cancer.
“More health care practitioners have to be educated about the link between diet and colorectal cancer,” Dr. Barrocas said, “and in addition to recommending screening, discuss with patients the protective benefits of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans.”
Diet and Colorectal Cancer Risk
Research has shown several lifestyle and dietary factors may influence colorectal cancer risk.
- Those following a plant-based diet had a 22% lower risk of all types of colorectal cancers compared with those who consumed an omnivorous diet. Plant-based diets may be especially protective because fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes are rich in cancer-fighting phytochemicals.
- Maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding alcohol, and exercising regularly can help decrease the risk of developing colorectal cancer.
The Protective Role of Fiber
Fiber, the component of plant foods that provides bulk, also appears to play a significant role in colorectal health. One study found that people who consumed the highest amounts of fiber had a 72% lower risk of developing colon polyps compared with those who consumed the least.
Colon polyps can sometimes develop into colorectal cancer. Diets rich in fiber help protect the intestines and move food through the digestive system more efficiently.
“Research shows that for every 10 grams of fiber we eat each day, we can lower our colorectal cancer risk by up to 10%,” said Anna Herby, DHSc, RD, CDE, nutrition education specialist for the Physicians Committee. “Simple ways to get that in include eating a little over a cup of raspberries, 2 tablespoons of chia seeds, or two-thirds cup of black beans.
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17 Comments
Suffice it for me to state that the cited healthcare professionals and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine are in drastic need for something of a reality check. First, they need to know about sub-acute (nearly subclinical) non-IgE-mediated food allergy reactions, to animal and/or plant substances (e.g., Dr. Arthur F. Coca, by 1935), which mainstream medicine still fails to recognize, research, practice and teach as true allergies, causing chronic long-term, low-grade inflammation in some people (e.g., highly individual). Next, they need to know to make an important distinction between “processed” and “poisoned” (e.g., cooking “processes” and adding toxic FDA approved additives like cultured MSG “poisons”).
I couldn’t have said it better myself, thank you.
MSG stands for mono sodium glutamate. Its the sodium salt of glutamic acid. Glutamic acid is a common amino acid of life. Plenty of it naturally in our body. When MSG enters your stomach it splits into sodium ion and glutamic acid. Both of which are common in our bodies. The myth of MSG was debunk decades ago. Signed a chemist
Thanks for the clarity, Mike. However, that clarity now calls for at least one more distinction: there is chemistry and then there is biology. While glutamate is an essential amino acid, added artificially cultured “free” (as opposed to natural “protein bound”) MSG can cross the blood-brain barrier to upset the delicate balance of amino acids in the brain and cause mind altering brain damage, potentially aggravating a generally ignored allergy factor that “added” MSG can extend and/or intensify to turn practically harmless individual food allergy reactions chronic and potentially deadly, long-term (months to decades, highly individual). I hope you will now help to debunk the myth that “added” MSG is safe for all. For more of my lay findings of forty-four years and counting: https://odysee.com/@charlesgshaver:d?view=about
Proteins are brokened down in the human gut into amino acids thats what is absorb. Glutamic is an important brain amino acid. Here from a Google search Glutamic acid is an amino acid used to form proteins. In the body, it turns into glutamate. This is a chemical that helps nerve cells in the brain send and receive information from other cells. It may be involved in learning and memory.
Hello again, Mike. Another distinction to make; fatally-flawed dogmatic outdated data v. decades of real life experiences. I don’t claim to be an expert on MSG or metabolism but I do have a family history of sub-acute food allergies and dementia (by 1990). You may want to be extra careful with Google searches due to AIs not having any such “experiences” with food allergies aggravated with added MSG causing decades of mostly mild inflammation that most doctors don’t consider to be harmful and related/resultant chronic illnesses. If you don’t have any of my kind of food allergies added MSG may not be harmful to you.
Who can afford it. Our family had to stop or lose our house
He says that, but he’s gonna eat crickets fried whole v. meats and give life and his colonoscopy a better chance.
Do eggs cause cancer too?
Are eggs bad for cancer?
Is this an article warning about process meat without a list of processed meat? I’m going to write an article warning about articles that lead you on to believing the title has something to do with the content and I’m going to call it processed article.
You can search on the internet what are processed meats. Two examples of processed meat commonly eaten are ham and hot dogs
Where’s your double blind study. Obviously it hasn’t been done because it would be impossible due to the large number of uncontrollable factors that could influence the outcome.
It’s not processed meats CAUSING cancer. It’s that people are eating nothing but highly processed foods and therefore aren’t eating any FIBER. You need to eat fiber. Your gut needs fiber to be healthy. A lack of fiber is contributing heavily to this issue.
Dad just died at 90. He ate lots. Maybe he’d have gone longer?
An associational “study” based on a poll is scientifically worthless. Also the semantic ambiguities are laughable. What does “processed” mean? Cooked, cured, dried?
This report is useless propaganda from Big Vegetable.
This alleged research is not credible because “The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine” focuses on promoting non-animal methods in research, whatever that means and advocates for a plant-based diet for disease prevention.
After all we know about the horrors of medical training in nutrition, why would a paid group of them ever be trusted.
I am sure that the Royal and Infallible Committee for Physicians for Responsible Meat-eating would have a different opinion.