Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) 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 lowering nutritional quality.
A growing body of research has connected greater UPF consumption with a variety of health problems. Scientists have proposed several ways these foods could potentially contribute to cancer, including disruptions in metabolism, increased inflammation and oxidative stress, and changes in the gut microbiome. Until now, however, relatively little evidence has examined whether high UPF intake is associated specifically with prostate cancer in men.
Higher UPF Intake Linked to Prostate Cancer
New research from Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine suggests that men who consume more UPFs may have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer. In the U.S., prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and ranks second only to lung cancer as a cause of cancer death among men.
The study, published in The American Journal of Medicine, analyzed nationally representative data from 17,024 U.S. men ages 18 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 share of daily calories that came from ultra-processed foods. The foods were classified using the validated and widely used NOVA system. Participants were then separated into four groups, ranging from those who obtained less than about 20% of their calories from UPFs to those who obtained more than 44%.
Prostate Cancer Risk Rose by About 30%
Compared with men in the lowest UPF consumption group, those in the three higher intake groups had a 29% greater risk of prostate cancer. Men in the two highest consumption groups had a 30% greater risk.
The association remained statistically significant after researchers adjusted for age, race and ethnicity, smoking, and poverty status. Following those adjustments, the increased risk ranged from 24% to 31%.
Men in the single highest intake group showed a possible 34% increase in prostate cancer risk. However, that result did not reach statistical significance, which the researchers said could reflect the smaller number of prostate cancer cases within that group.
“Among adult men in this nationally representative U.S. population, those who consumed higher amounts of UPFs had significantly higher risks of the subsequent development of prostate cancer,” said Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., FACPM, FACC, senior author and the First Sir Richard Doll Professor of Medicine and Preventive Medicine in the Department of Medicine and the Department of Population Health at FAU’s College of Medicine. “These findings add to emerging evidence that UPFs have major 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 greater consumption of UPFs with higher risks of overweight and obesity, metabolic disease, inflammatory markers, cardiovascular disease, especially heart attacks and strokes, and premature death.
The authors describe the new findings as another piece of evidence in a broader public health debate in which they argue that the priorities of the food industry can conflict with the needs of the U.S. population. They compare the situation with tobacco, noting that evidence about the dangers of cigarettes began accumulating in the middle of the previous century, yet decades passed before the overall weight of the evidence and the work of forward-thinking public health officials produced policies aimed at reducing smoking. The researchers believe UPFs may follow a similar trajectory.
“Reducing consumption of UPFs is a complex public health challenge, particularly given how prevalent and accessible these products are,” said co-author Timothy De Ver Dye, Ph.D., professor and chair of FAU’s Department of Population Health. “Healthcare providers should 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 Major Cancer Burden in the U.S. and Worldwide
Prostate cancer remains a major health concern both in the United States and globally. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 333,000 men in the U.S. 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 were 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 also 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.”
Study co-authors 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.