Men who got the largest share of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods had roughly a 30 percent higher risk of prostate cancer than men who ate the least, according to a study of 17,024 US men published in August in The American Journal of Medicine.
The researchers, based at Florida Atlantic University's Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, drew on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data collected between 2003 and 2023.
They sorted participants into four groups by how much of their daily energy came from ultra-processed foods, from less than about 20 percent up to more than 44 percent.
After adjusting for age, race and ethnicity, smoking, and poverty status, men in the higher-intake groups had roughly 24 to 31 percent greater odds of prostate cancer.
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The three highest groups combined showed a 29 percent increase compared with the lowest, and the two highest groups showed a 30 percent increase.
The very top group hinted at a 34 percent jump, but that estimate did not reach statistical significance.
Ultra-processed foods
The study used the NOVA classification system, which defines ultra-processed foods as industrial formulations built from refined fats, oils, sugars, starches, salts, and additives.
In practice, that means soft drinks, packaged snacks, breakfast cereals, and processed meats such as hot dogs and deli slices, according to the Florida Atlantic University announcement of the findings.
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These products are hard to avoid. Ultra-processed foods now supply roughly 60 percent of the calories American adults consume and about 70 percent of the calories children consume, the researchers noted.
The study limits
The design has clear limits. It is observational, meaning it can spot patterns but cannot prove that ultra-processed foods cause prostate cancer.
Diet was captured through two 24-hour recalls, which rely on memory and may not reflect long-term eating habits.
Men who eat more packaged food may also differ from lighter consumers in ways the study could not fully measure.
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Still, the scale matters. With more than 17,000 men and two decades of federal survey data behind it, the finding adds to a growing line of research linking ultra-processed diets to cancer risk, alongside earlier work tying the same category to heart disease and dementia.
The bigger picture for men
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in American men apart from skin cancer, and about 1 in 8 will be diagnosed at some point in life, according to the American Cancer Society.
For 2026, the society projects roughly 333,830 new cases and about 36,320 deaths in the United States.
Men worried about their diet can start by swapping the most obvious offenders.
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Trading a daily soda for water, packaged snack bars for fruit or nuts, sweetened breakfast cereals for oats, and deli meat for a home-cooked protein pulls several of the categories flagged in this study off the plate at once.
Anyone with urinary symptoms, family history, or other risk concerns should raise them with a doctor.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.