{"id":69001,"date":"2025-08-10T11:53:22","date_gmt":"2025-08-10T17:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=69001"},"modified":"2025-10-16T14:37:04","modified_gmt":"2025-10-16T20:37:04","slug":"study-ultra-processed-foods-boost-cancer-risk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/study-ultra-processed-foods-boost-cancer-risk\/","title":{"rendered":"Do ultra-processed foods boost cancer risk?"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"A
A British study shows that eating processed foods can raise cancer risk. Ultra-processed foods have also been implicated in increased risk for diabetes, dementia and cardiovascular disease. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From frozen meals to packaged snacks, ultra-processed foods are a staple in many diets. They are also a growing concern for cancer researchers.<\/p>\n

A 2023-released British study<\/a> involving nearly 200,000 UK Biobank participants found that every 10% increment in the ultra-processed food content of one\u2019s diet increased the average risk of 34 types of cancer by 2% \u2013 and that of ovarian cancer by 19%.<\/p>\n

In a country awash in ultra-processed foods (they comprise close to 60%<\/a> of our total calories), that\u2019s bad news indeed.<\/p>\n

Dr. Marisa Moroney<\/a>, a University of Colorado School of Medicine and UCHealth gynecologic oncologist, said that while the ovarian cancer data were notable, the key takeaway was its reminder of the bigger picture of ultra-processed foods\u2019 impact on well-being.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt adds to the growing evidence that ultra-processed foods negatively impact our health, and one of the ways that seems to be is through increasing the risk of cancer,\u201d Moroney said.<\/p>\n

Ultra-processed foods \u2013 classic junk foods and sugary sodas, as well as many breakfast cereals, packaged baked goods, ready-to-eat meals, snack bars, and sweetened yogurts\u2013 have a long rap sheet indeed. They\u2019ve been implicated in diabetes<\/a>, dementia<\/a>, cardiovascular disease<\/a>, and other health problems. While there are no hard and fast definitions, ultra-processed foods have long ingredient lists and, often, a ton of fat, sugar, sodium, and artificial flavors crafted by savvy food engineers to enrapture the human tongue. These foods are made using ingredients and\/or methods not commonly found in a typical home kitchen.<\/p>\n

The rest of the body seems less enamored. The study\u2019s design made it impossible to determine what might be causing cancer upticks, but it\u2019s something besides sociodemographic characteristics, smoking status, physical activity, body mass index, and alcohol and calorie intake \u2013 all of which the researchers statistically adjusted for.<\/p>\n

What is the link between eating ultra-processed foods and cancer?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

What, then, might it be? The authors provided a few possibilities: food additives, contaminants such as acrylamide<\/a> created chemically during ultra-processing, artificial sweeteners, nitrates, and endocrine-disrupting phthalates and bisphenols leached in from plastic packaging.<\/p>\n

\"Dr.
Dr. Marisa Moroney<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But nobody really knows, and the British study was observational \u2013 patients self-reported their diets between 2009 and 2012, and researchers cross-referenced patients with cancer-registry data through about 2015 in Scotland and 2019 in England and Wales. Such studies don\u2019t establish cause and effect.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause this is an observational study, we just don\u2019t know what it is about these foods that our body reacts to in a different way that causes the increased risk of cancer,\u201d Moroney said.<\/p>\n

Moroney, who specializes in treating ovarian cancer, was surprised by the study\u2019s eyebrow-raising ovarian cancer finding. She says that she\u2019d like to see follow-up studies that support the apparently extreme link between ultra-processed foods and ovarian cancer. The main risk factors for ovarian cancer, she says, are genetics (such as the BRCA gene) and how many years a woman has been ovulating.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt may be an inflammatory process, and we think inflammation can lead to certain cancers,\u201d Moroney said.<\/p>\n

Watch the sugar, fat<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Better understood are two linked factors proven to elevate cancer risk: one between ultra-processed foods and weight gain<\/a>, and a second between excess body weight<\/a> and cancer incidence.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of evidence that being overweight or obese as an adult puts someone at risk for a lot of different cancers,\u201d said Amy Weiman, the clinical nutritional supervisor for Oncology at the UCHealth Cancer Care \u2013 Anschutz Medical Campus<\/a>. \u201cJust having extra body fat increases inflammation throughout the body, and being in a state of chronic inflammation puts people at risk for cancer-cell growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

Being overweight or obese also boosts growth-hormone production that can stimulate cancer growth, Weiman added.<\/p>\n

Added sugars and high fructose corn syrup, abundant in many ultra-processed foods, stoke inflammation, Weiman says. Overeating carbohydrates \u2013 be it sugar consumed directly or broken down from simple starches \u2013 kicks off insulin production and a chain reaction that turns excess carbs into fat, and that process is also inflammatory, she says. That\u2019s bad for you regardless of body weight, she adds.<\/p>\n

\"Amy
Amy Weiman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Despite all that, Weiman doesn\u2019t expect patients or those looking to improve their diets to give up ultra-processed foods completely \u2013 though she does recommend skipping sugary soda, a font of empty calories with no nutritional value.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut everything else, I try to put in a realistic and attainable way. If you like pizza, have pizza once a month so it doesn\u2019t make you crazy,\u201d she said. \u201cI have a sweet tooth, so I might skip the starch, have a dinner of lean meat, roasted veggies, and a salad, and then have a piece of banana bread that I made.\u201d<\/p>\n

Steps to cut back on ultra-processed foods<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The biggest step one can take in cutting back on ultra-processed foods, Weiman says, is boosting intake of whole foods and plants \u2013 fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and healthy carbohydrates and starches such as sweet potatoes and squash. Plants also provide antioxidants and phytonutrients that may help prevent chronic diseases, including cancer. Also, their fiber makes them slower to digest than ultra-processed foods, which keeps you sated longer.<\/p>\n

For proteins, she points to eggs, fish, nuts, legumes and unprocessed meats (though red meat is linked with colon cancer and is best limited to three times a week, she says), including rotisserie chicken, which, while seasoned, is not highly processed. Canned tuna, lowfat Greek yogurt and milk are also good protein options, though plant-based milk has less protein than cow milk.<\/p>\n

Part of the game is having more control over what you eat. A baked russet potato is better than potato chips or packaged macaroni and cheese, Weiman says \u2013 plus you can limit what you put on it.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything in moderation,\u201d she said. \u201cI never tell people, \u2018Don\u2019t eat the foods you crave.\u2019 Just try to eat them less, so you eat the healthy foods more.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new British study asks as many questions as it clears up, but it further bolsters the case for avoiding ultra-processed foods. Given how addictive, convenient, and, for industrial food makers, profitable these products are, it\u2019s going to take increased awareness and a heaping portion of willpower to do so.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From frozen meals to packaged snacks, ultra-processed foods are a staple in many diets. They are also a growing concern for cancer researchers. A 2023-released British study involving nearly 200,000 UK Biobank participants found that every 10% increment in the ultra-processed food content of one\u2019s diet increased the average risk of 34 types of cancer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":86339,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[153,276,9187,4781],"class_list":["post-69001","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-healthy-eating","tag-nutrition-services","tag-readysetco","tag-research-in-health-care"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDo ultra-processed foods boost cancer risk? - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"One study shows that eating ultra-processed foods can increase cancer risk and other diseases. 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