Researchers Link “Ultra-Processed” Foods to Cancer Risk

A group of researchers at the Universite Sarbonne Paris Cite recently published a paper in the British Medical Journal detailing the results of a study that found links “ultra-processed” foods like instant noodle products and sodas to an increased risk of developing cancer.

Analyzing data from 104,980 individuals in France, the paper said the nutritional composition of processed foods, carcinogenic contaminants found in processed food products, and carcinogenic and endocrine disrupting materials in food packaging may be connected to increased rates of overall, breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer rates.

“In this large prospective study, a 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet was associated with a significant increase of greater than 10% in risks of overall and breast cancer,” the authors wrote in the paper’s abstract. “Further studies are needed to better understand the relative effect of the various dimensions of processing (nutritional composition, food additives, contact materials, and neoformed contaminants) in these associations.”

The definition of “ultra-processed” foods used in the study, originating from the NOVA food classification system, includes a wide range of food products like sweet or savory snacks, shelf stable or frozen meals, foods made through industrial processes like hydrogenation and extrusion, and industrially-produced confectionery and dessert products.

“A few studies have previously suggested that ultra-processed foods contribute to increasing the risk of cardiometabolic disorders – such as obesity, hypertension, and dyslipidemia – but no previous prospective epidemiological study has evaluated the association between food processing and risk cancer,” the British Medical Journal paper notes.

During the sample period, participants most often consumed ultra-processed sugary products and drinks, followed by starchy foods and breakfast cereals and ultra-processed fruits and vegetables.

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