A new study has linked greater consumption of ultra-processed food with a higher likelihood of prostate cancer. That is clearly important for men, but before the rest of us quietly put the biscuit packet back in the cupboard and declare this “not our problem,” the broader message deserves everyone’s attention.

The study adds to growing evidence that a diet dominated by industrially manufactured food products may affect far more than our waistlines.

What did the researchers find?

Researchers analysed data from 17,024 American men who had participated in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2003 and 2023.

Participants completed two 24-hour dietary recalls, which the researchers used to estimate the proportion of their daily energy intake coming from ultra-processed foods. These included products such as soft drinks, packaged snacks, breakfast cereals and processed meat products.

The men were then divided into four groups according to their ultra-processed food intake. Compared with those consuming the least, men in the higher-intake groups were approximately 24% to 31% more likely to report having had prostate cancer after the researchers accounted for factors including age, smoking, race and ethnicity, and poverty status.

An association is not the same as proof

This was an observational, cross-sectional study. It can show that ultra-processed food consumption and prostate cancer occurred together more often, but it cannot prove that one caused the other.

Dietary intake was based on what participants reported eating during two 24-hour periods. Prostate cancer was also self-reported rather than independently confirmed using medical records. Importantly, the study did not follow cancer-free men over time to see who subsequently developed the disease.

This means we cannot be certain that the diets recorded reflected what the men had eaten in the years before their diagnoses. Some may even have changed their eating habits after being diagnosed.

In other words, this study provides an important clue, not a nutritional courtroom verdict.

What exactly is an ultra-processed food?

Not all processing is harmful. Chopping vegetables, freezing meat, fermenting yoghurt or cooking tomatoes are all forms of food processing. Processing can make food safer, more convenient and more affordable.

Ultra-processed foods are different. They are generally industrial formulations made from refined ingredients and may contain flavourings, colourants, emulsifiers, sweeteners and other substances not commonly used in a home kitchen. They are often engineered to be extremely tasty, easy to eat and difficult to stop eating.

They also tend to displace foods that provide better-quality protein, healthy fats, fibre and micronutrients. A dinner made from eggs, fish or meat with vegetables is very different from a product that requires several lines of small print to explain what it is.

The problem is not that a food came in a packet (frozen broccoli also comes in a packet). The more useful questions are: What is in it? How far is it from its original form? And is it occasionally adding convenience, or has it become the foundation of the diet?

Why could ultra-processed food matter?

The new study does not tell us exactly why ultra-processed food might be associated with prostate cancer. Several pathways are biologically plausible, however.

Many ultra-processed products are high in refined carbohydrates, added sugars, and poor-quality fats while being low in protein and pretty much everything else that is nutritious! Regular overconsumption may contribute to weight gain, insulin resistance, and poor metabolic health. There is also the role of chronic inflammation, oxidative stress, changes to the gut microbiome, and certain food additives to consider.

Health is not determined by a single food, meal, or birthday cake. The concern is the overall dietary pattern and what happens when these products repeatedly replace nourishing, minimally processed food in your diet.

Why this matters to everyone

Prostate cancer affects men, but ultra-processed food is eaten by entire households.

A growing body of research has associated higher ultra-processed food consumption with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and premature death. The broader health signal is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

Children are also developing their food preferences in an environment dominated by products specifically designed to be sweet, crunchy, colourful and convenient. When ultra-processed food becomes the everyday norm, real food can seem like the unusual option… quite the impressive trick for the food industry to have pulled.

What can we do in practice?

Reducing ultra-processed food does not require culinary perfection, expensive “superfoods” or spending every evening stirring a pot of bone broth.

A few practical changes can make a substantial difference:

• Build most meals around recognisable foods such as eggs, meat, fish, full-fat dairy, vegetables, nuts and seeds.
• Replace sugary drinks with water, sparkling water, unsweetened tea or coffee.
• Keep simple options available for busy days: boiled eggs, leftover meat, plain yoghurt, cheese, nuts or tinned fish 
• Read ingredient lists rather than relying on claims printed on the front of the package. “Natural,” “high protein” and “low fat” are marketing descriptions, not guarantees of good nutrition.
• Start with the products eaten most frequently. Replacing a daily fizzy drink matters more than worrying about something eaten twice a year.
• Make changes gradually and realistically. A household does not need to transform its diet by Monday morning for progress to count.

It is also acknowledge that food choices are not made in a vacuum. Cost, access, time, transport, cooking facilities, and food knowledge all influence what people can eat. Advising someone to “just eat fresh food” is not particularly helpful if nutritious food is unaffordable or unavailable in their community. Improving health therefore requires both individual action and broader efforts to make nourishing food accessible, practical and affordable.

The bottom line

This study does not prove that ultra-processed food causes prostate cancer, and it certainly does not allow us to predict an individual man’s risk. It does, however, add another piece to a much larger and increasingly concerning picture.

For men, it is a reminder that diet may form part of a broader approach to protecting metabolic and long-term health, alongside appropriate medical care and recommended prostate cancer screening.

For everyone else, the message is equally relevant: eat more food that still resembles food. We may not be able to control every factor that affects our future health. But the food we bring into our homes repeatedly is one place where small, practical choices can accumulate into something meaningful.