Risk for Prostate Cancer Elevated With Higher Ultraprocessed Food Intake

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 19, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Higher ultraprocessed food (UPF) intake is associated with a higher risk for prostate cancer, according to a study published online Aug. 7 in the American Journal of Medicine.

Hunter Scott, from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, and colleagues used data from 17,024 male adults participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2003 to 2023) to examine the association between UPF intake and prostate cancer.

The researchers found that participants in the combined second, third, and fourth quartiles had a significant 29 percent higher risk for prostate cancer than those in the lowest quartile. Participants in the combined third and fourth quartiles had a significant 30 percent higher risk compared with the lowest quartile. When adjusting for other values, risk remained significantly increased across the combined second, third, and fourth quartiles (27 percent) and the combined third and fourth quartiles (31 percent).

“All health care professionals should encourage patients to adopt healthy lifestyle practices and evidence-based therapies, while also helping them reduce their consumption of ultraprocessed foods,” senior author Charles Hennekens, M.D., also from Florida Atlantic University, said in a statement. “Patients and their health care providers should consider this finding as part of broader efforts to promote healthier dietary choices.”

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