Higher intake of ultra-processed foods linked to about a 30% rise in prostate cancer risk

In a nationally representative sample of 17,024 U.S. men aged 18 and older, scientists used two 24-hour dietary recalls to calculate the proportion of daily calories derived from ultra-processed foods, classified via the NOVA system. Participants were divided into four intake groups, with the highest group consuming more than 44% of calories from such foods. Compared with the lowest-consumption group, men in the higher categories exhibited a 29% greater risk of prostate cancer, which remained statistically significant after controlling for demographic and lifestyle factors, yielding adjusted risk increases of 24% to 31%.

The study, conducted by Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine and published in The American Journal of Medicine, joins prior research linking ultra-processed foods to obesity, cardiovascular disease and mortality. Authors suggest that reducing consumption will require public-health strategies beyond individual choices. Prostate cancer remains the most common cancer diagnosis among U.S. men, with over 333,000 expected cases in 2026.