Research suggests that cancer patients with the highest consumption of ultra-processed foods face nearly a 60% higher risk of death compared with those who eat the least, highlighting concerns about poor diet quality and disease outcomes.
People with cancer who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) could be almost 60% more likely to die from their disease, research suggests. Those with the highest intake were far more likely to die earlier than those who consumed the least, researchers in Italy found.
UPFs have been linked to poor health, including an increased risk of obesity, heart disease, cancer and early death. Examples of UPFs include ice cream, processed meats, crisps, mass-produced bread, some breakfast cereals, biscuits, many ready meals and fizzy drinks.
UPFs often contain high levels of saturated fat, salt, sugar and additives, which experts say leaves less room in people’s diets for more nutritious foods. They also tend to include additives and ingredients that are not used when people cook from scratch, such as preservatives, emulsifiers and artificial colours and flavours.