Story perspectives

High-Quality Diets Raise Lung Cancer Risk for Young Non-Smokers

4/28/2026

Summary

Story summary

A University of Southern California (USC) Norris Cancer Center study found younger non-smokers with higher-quality diets faced a higher lung-cancer risk.
Researchers surveyed 187 lung-cancer patients under 50, whose Healthy Eating Index averaged 65 versus the U.S. 57.
They cited studies linking pesticide exposure and used average residue data to estimate exposure.
The analysis found non-smoking women had higher diet scores and higher incidence, sparking speculation about endocrine-disrupting pesticides.

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Story summary

A University of Southern California (USC) Norris Cancer Center study found younger non-smokers with higher-quality diets faced a higher lung-cancer risk.
Researchers surveyed 187 lung-cancer patients under 50, whose Healthy Eating Index averaged 65 versus the U.S. 57.
They cited studies linking pesticide exposure and used average residue data to estimate exposure.
The analysis found non-smoking women had higher diet scores and higher incidence, sparking speculation about endocrine-disrupting pesticides.