Ultra-processed foods (UPF) now supply nearly 60% of the calories consumed by adults in the United States and about 70% of those consumed by children. These industrially produced foods include soft drinks, packaged cereals, snacks and processed meats. They are typically made with refined fats, oils, sugars, starches, salts, and other additives designed to improve flavor, texture, and shelf life, often while reducing nutritional quality.
A growing body of research has linked higher UPF consumption to a variety of health problems. Scientists have proposed several ways these foods could potentially contribute to cancer, including alterations in metabolism, increased inflammation and oxidative stress, and changes in the gut microbiome. However, until now, relatively little evidence has examined whether high UPF intake is specifically associated with prostate cancer in men.
Higher UPF intake linked to prostate cancer
New research from the Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine at Florida Atlantic University suggests that men who consume more UPF may have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. In the US, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and is second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death among men.
The study, published in The American Journal of Medicineanalyzed nationally representative data from 17,024 American men aged 18 years and older who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2003 and 2023.
To estimate UPF consumption, the researchers analyzed two 24-hour dietary recalls from each participant and calculated the proportion of daily calories coming from ultra-processed foods. Foods were classified using the validated and widely used NOVA system. Participants were then separated into four groups, from those who got less than about 20% of their calories from UPF to those who got more than 44%.
Prostate cancer risk increased by approximately 30%
Compared with men in the lowest UPF consumption group, those in the three highest consumption groups had a 29% increased risk of prostate cancer. Men in the two highest consumption groups had a 30% higher risk.
The association remained statistically significant after the researchers adjusted for age, race and ethnicity, smoking, and poverty status. After those adjustments, the increased risk ranged from 24% to 31%.
Men in the highest consumption group showed a possible 34% increased risk of prostate cancer. However, that result did not reach statistical significance, which the researchers said could reflect the lower number of prostate cancer cases within that group.
“Among adult men in this nationally representative U.S. population, those who consumed higher amounts of UPF had significantly higher risks of developing prostate cancer,” said Charles H. Hennekens, MD, FACPM, FACC, senior author and first Sir Richard Doll Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Population Health at the FAU College of Medicine. “These findings add to the emerging evidence that UPFs have important adverse health effects and underscore the need for large-scale observational studies and randomized trials to adequately test the hypothesis.”
Growing health concerns around ultra-processed foods
Previous research has linked higher UPF consumption to increased risks of overweight and obesity, metabolic diseases, inflammatory markers, cardiovascular diseases, especially heart attacks and strokes, and premature death.
The authors describe the new findings as further evidence in a broader public health debate that the food industry’s priorities may conflict with the needs of the American public. They compare the situation to tobacco, noting that evidence about the dangers of cigarettes began to accumulate in the middle of the previous century, but it took decades before the overall weight of the evidence and the work of forward-thinking public health officials produced policies aimed at reducing smoking. Researchers believe UPF may follow a similar trajectory.
“Reducing UPF consumption is a complex public health challenge, particularly given the prevalence and accessibility of these products,” said co-author Timothy De Ver Dye, Ph.D., professor and chair of the FAU Department of Population Health. “Health care providers must recognize that many patients face barriers to accessing and affording healthier food options. Addressing these challenges will require efforts that extend beyond individual choices to support greater access to nutritious, minimally processed foods.”
A significant burden of cancer in the US and around the world
Prostate cancer remains a major health problem both in the United States and globally. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 333,000 men in the United States will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2026 and that more than 36,000 will die from the disease.
Worldwide, nearly 1.5 million men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2022, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer. Nearly 400,000 men died from the disease that year.
“All healthcare professionals should encourage patients to adopt healthy lifestyle practices and evidence-based therapies, while helping them reduce their consumption of ultra-processed foods,” Hennekens said. “Patients and their healthcare providers should consider this finding as part of broader efforts to promote healthier dietary choices.”
Co-authors of the study include FAU medical students Hunter Scott and John Dunn, along with Yanna Willett, a doctoral student at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.