Foods making up most Americans’ diets linked to higher prostate cancer risk

A common feature of many Americans’ diets could be increasing their risk of prostate cancer, researchers have found.

The study, published in The American Journal of Medicine, analyzed dietary and health data from 17,024 U.S. men and found that those consuming higher amounts of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) had an increased risk of developing prostate cancer compared with men who ate the least.

Charles H. Hennekens, senior author of the study and a professor of medicine and preventive medicine at Florida Atlantic University, told Newsweek that ultra-processed foods include products such as soft drinks, packaged snacks, breakfast cereals, processed meats and ready-to-eat meals.

These industrially manufactured foods are often high in refined fats, sugars, starches and additives while providing relatively little nutritional value.

Ultra-processed foods now account for more than half of calories consumed in the United States, making up about 53 percent of adults’ energy intake, according to the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the study, researchers from Florida Atlantic University examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) collected between 2003 and 2023.

Participants were grouped according to the proportion of their daily calories that came from ultra-processed foods.

Men in the three higher-consumption groups were found to have a 29 percent greater risk of prostate cancer than those in the lowest intake group.

Even after accounting for factors such as age, race and ethnicity, smoking status and poverty level, the increased risk remained significant, ranging from 24 percent to 31 percent.

Researchers said previous studies have already linked ultra-processed foods to obesity, metabolic disease, inflammation, cardiovascular disease and premature death.

The new findings add prostate cancer to the growing list of health concerns associated with diets dominated by these products.

More than 333,000 men are expected to be diagnosed with prostate cancer in the United States in 2026, making it the country’s most commonly diagnosed cancer among men and the second-leading cause of cancer-related deaths after lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.

Hennekens said men do not need to completely overhaul their diets overnight to begin lowering their intake.

“The most practical first steps individuals can take to reduce their intake of ultra-processed foods include replacing sugary drinks and consuming whole foods like fruits, vegetables and grains instead of packaged snacks, and eating at home using steaming or grilling instead of frying,” he said.

The findings should be viewed as part of broader efforts to encourage healthier lifestyles and dietary habits, while further large-scale studies continue to investigate the potential health effects of ultra-processed foods.

Reference

Scott, H., Willett, Y., Dunn, J., Dye, T.D. and Hennekens, C.H. (2026). Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods and Increased Risks of Prostate Cancer in a Random Sample of United States Adults. The American Journal of Medicine. [online] doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2026.07.043.

Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Charlotte Nisbet and Emma Lee-Sang