Chen H, Zheng X, Zong X, et al. - In this nested case–control study, researchers sought to assess the link between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and early-onset colorectal cancer (CRC diagnosed under age 50). They used the IBM MarketScan Commercial Database (2006–2015) to identify participants aged 18–64. To estimate ORs and 95% CIs, they employed multivariable logistic regressions. Elevated risk of early-onset CRC in relation to MetS was found, similar to CRC diagnosed at age 50–64. A 9%, 12% and 31% higher risk of early-onset CRC was observed in persons with 1, 2 or ≥3 metabolic comorbid conditions vs those without a metabolic comorbid condition. Overall, metabolic dysregulation was shown to be related to elevated risk of early-onset CRC, driven by proximal and distal colon cancer, therefore at least partially contributing to the growing incidence of early-onset CRC.