Junk food is filled with salt, sugar and fat. All three of those things in heavy doses are just plain bad for the human body. A diet heavy in junk food just might make you prone to developing colon cancer, as a study found. Researchers at Wageningen University in the Netherlands found a link between diets high in junk food and colon cancer, Reuters reports.

The researchers studied people diagnosed with Lynch syndrome, a genetic disorder found in one out of every 660 people. People with Lynch syndrome are more prone to developing cancers at a younger age. Up to 70 percent of those diagnosed with Lynch syndrome will develop a form of cancer. Colorectal and endometrial cancers are more common in people with Lynch syndrome from Western countries.

The researchers studied 486 people with Lynch syndrome for 20 months based on their diet. There were four different types of diets: one with fruits; vegetables and whole grains; another with lots of meat and coffee; a third with fish, leafy greens, pasta, sauces and wines; and a fourth filled with fast food, diet soda and fried snacks. The researchers found that 56 of those surveyed or 12 percent had colon tumors, and found a link to developing colon tumors only in those with diets heavy in junk food. People who ate the junk food diet filled were twice as likely to develop colon tumors.

The researchers are not sure exactly why. "These patients have this very high risk because of this (genetic) mutation they have, but it might be that they could reduce the number of (tumors) by having a more healthy lifestyle," said Akke Botma, the lead author of the study.

Whether or not eating junk really does make someone more prone to developing colon tumors or not, a junk food filled diet will cause weight gain, and being overweight puts you at risk for all sorts of diseases, including type two diabetes. The message is clear: limit the amount of junk food in your diet.

Photo: Flickr user, Bunches and Bits {Karina}

Andrea Donsky