A new study raises questions about a surprising link between diet and lung cancer in young non-smokers.The study included 187 adults diagnosed before the age of 50. Most had never smoked.Researchers compared their eating habits with the general U.S. population and found their diets were actually healthier, containing more fruits, vegetables and whole grains on average.Young women who didn’t smoke were found to have higher rates of lung cancer than men and also tended to eat more produce.The researchers say these unexpected patterns may point to an environmental factor in early-onset lung cancer— specifically, pesticide residue.Past studies have linked pesticide exposure to higher lung cancer rates in agricultural workers.The lead investigators says, “This work represents a critical step toward identifying modifiable environmental factors that may contribute to lung cancer in young adults.”The study cannot prove cause and effect because pesticide exposure was estimated based on average levels in food categories.The next step is to confirm the link by directly measuring pesticide levels in patients’ blood or urine.Source: Keck Medicine of USCAuthor Affiliations: USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University, Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute .Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter