Men who ate more ultra-processed food had a 24% to 31% higher reported risk of prostate cancer than those who ate the least, after researchers accounted for several demographic and health factors.
The study found an association—not proof that ultra-processed foods cause cancer—and relied on self-reported diagnoses and two days of dietary recall.
Consumers don’t need to eliminate every packaged food, but replacing soft drinks, processed meats and packaged snacks with minimally processed options may improve overall diet quality.
Men whose diets contained more ultra-processed foods were more likely to report having prostate cancer, according to a new study that adds to concerns about Americans’ heavy reliance on industrially formulated products.
Researchers analyzed nationally representative federal survey data from 17,024 U.S. men ages 18 and older. Participants took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2003 and 2023.
Using two 24-hour dietary recalls, researchers estimated how much of each participant’s energy intake came from ultra-processed foods. The men were divided into four groups, ranging from those who obtained less than roughly 20% of their calories from such foods to those who obtained more than 44%.
After adjusting for age, race and ethnicity, smoking and poverty status, the researchers found higher prostate cancer risk among men consuming more ultra-processed food. Depending on how the groups were combined, the increased risk ranged from 24% to 31% compared with men in the lowest-intake group.
Men in the highest-intake group alone had an estimated 34% greater risk, although that result was not statistically significant. The researchers said the lack of statistical significance may have been due to the smaller number of prostate cancer cases in that group.
The study was published online in The American Journal of Medicine. Its abstract is available through PubMed.
What counts as ultra-processed food?
The researchers classified foods using the NOVA system, which sorts products according to the nature and extent of their processing.
Ultra-processed foods are industrial formulations typically containing refined fats, starches, sugars, salt and additives used to enhance flavor, texture, color or shelf life. Examples include:
Soft drinks
Packaged sweet or salty snacks
Many sugary breakfast cereals
Processed meats
Some frozen meals and other ready-to-eat products
These foods account for nearly 60% of the calories consumed by American adults, according to researchers at Florida Atlantic University.
Processing alone does not automatically make a food unhealthy. Frozen vegetables, canned beans and pasteurized milk, for example, are processed but usually are not considered ultra-processed. Products in the ultra-processed category also vary widely in their nutritional content.
Important limits to the findings
The study cannot establish that ultra-processed food caused prostate cancer.
It used observational survey data rather than randomly assigning people to different diets. That means other differences between participants—including weight, physical activity, health-care access, screening history and overall dietary patterns—could partly explain the association.
Prostate cancer was self-reported, rather than confirmed through medical records. Diet was estimated from only two 24-hour recalls, which may not accurately represent a person’s long-term eating habits. Because the analysis was not a prospective clinical trial, it also cannot firmly establish whether the reported dietary pattern preceded the cancer.
The researchers used 90% confidence intervals after prespecifying a test for harm; medical research more commonly reports 95% intervals. The authors themselves said additional observational studies and randomized trials are needed to test the hypothesis.
What consumers can do
The findings do not mean an occasional packaged snack will cause cancer. They do support existing advice to build most meals around vegetables, fruit, beans, whole grains, nuts and other minimally processed foods.
Practical substitutions could include choosing water instead of soda, oatmeal instead of a sugary cereal, fruit or nuts instead of packaged sweets, and beans, fish or fresh poultry more often than processed meat.
“Reducing consumption of UPFs is a complex public health challenge,” study co-author Timothy De Ver Dye said, noting that affordability and access can make healthier choices difficult for many households.