In 1982, after working a stint within the meals business, Paul Stitt wrote the ebook Beating the Meals Giants. The time period ultra-processed meals was not invented but, however he was warning individuals again then, and for a few years after that, to desert the choices of the meals business and switch to natural, entire meals which can be nutritious and constructed well being. Paul Stitt might see what the meals had been doing to individuals’s well being, however he did not have all the info now we have now concerning the risks of ultra-processed meals.
I’ve written about ultra-processed meals earlier than, warning those that eliminating animal merchandise was not sufficient for good well being. Within the Adventist Well being Examine 2 cohort, ultra-processed meals had been extra harmful than animal merchandise. On this cohort, the individuals who ate essentially the most ultra-processed meals had a 14% elevated threat of dying of any trigger.
In one other article, I identified that not all ultra-processed meals had been equally harmful. Natural whole-grain bread and refined white bread are each labeled as ultra-processed meals, however solely one in all them builds well being. Sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened drinks had been clearly harmful, as had been ultra-processed meals containing animal merchandise and ready-to-eat combined dishes/meals.
Extremely-processed meals are harmful, and also you most likely have sufficient causes to not eat them, however I will offer you yet another: Most cancers. A number of large-scale potential cohorts have proven us the connection between consuming plenty of ultra-processed meals and the chance of getting most cancers and dying of most cancers.
Extremely-Processed Meals and Most cancers in France
One of many first research of ultra-processed meals was produced in France within the NutriNet Santé research. The cohort was launched in 2009 with a web-based questionnaire. They adopted virtually 105,000 adults for about 7.5 years. Researchers used the NOVA system to determine ultra-processed meals, which embrace merchandise with 5 or extra elements.
This is what the researchers discovered: a ten% enhance within the dietary proportion of UPFs correlated with a 12% total elevated most cancers threat and 11% elevated breast most cancers threat. Amongst individuals with most cancers, UPFs accounted for 18% of their energy, which is comparatively low in comparison with another populations we’ll focus on. However even in France, UPFs had been undoubtedly linked to most cancers.
Extremely-Processed Meals and Most cancers within the UK
In 2023, a analysis article was revealed on the UK Biobank cohort’s expertise with UPFs. This cohort had 197,000 individuals in it who had been adopted for about 10 years. There are virtually 16,000 circumstances of most cancers and over 4,000 cancer-related deaths on this group.
Extremely-processed meals made up 23% of the full weight-reduction plan by weight, however 49% by energy. A ten share level enhance in UPFs elevated the general threat of most cancers by a few p.c, however the threat of ovarian most cancers was raised by 19%.
Most cancers mortality was additionally elevated by UPF consumption. Each 10 share factors greater UPF consumption was related to a 6% enhance in total most cancers loss of life, a 30% enhance in ovarian most cancers loss of life, and a 16% enhance in breast most cancers loss of life. So, ovarian and breast well being had been significantly compromised by greater intakes of ultra-processed meals. Maybe this is because of endocrine-disrupting components in these meals merchandise.
Dr. Kiara Chang acknowledged, «The common individual within the UK consumes greater than half of their day by day vitality consumption from ultra-processed meals. That is exceptionally excessive and regarding as ultra-processed meals are produced with industrially derived elements and infrequently use meals components to regulate shade, taste, consistency, texture, or prolonged shelf life.»
She added, «Extremely-processed meals are in every single place and extremely marketed with low-cost worth and enticing packaging to advertise consumption.. This reveals our meals surroundings wants pressing reform to guard the inhabitants from ultra-processed meals.»
Extremely-Processed Meals and Most cancers Throughout Europe
The EPIC Cohort is an in depth potential research throughout 10 European nations at 23 websites, together with 520,000 people. Consumption of ultra-processed meals, as a share of energy, ranged from a low of about 15% in Italy and Spain to about 20% in France, 33% within the Netherlands and Germany, and a excessive of 45% within the UK, as famous above. When the EPIC cohort was analyzed for the impact of meals processing on most cancers charges, researchers discovered that changing 10% of their ultra-processed meals, by weight, of their fashions with minimally processed meals would lead to:
- 20% decreased threat of head and neck most cancers
- 27% lower in threat of hepatocellular carcinoma
- 27% lower in threat of colon most cancers
Extremely-Processed Meals and Most cancers within the USA
In November 2025, an evaluation of the Nurses’ Well being Examine II checked out consumption of ultra-processed meals and the chance of early-onset colorectal most cancers precursors, and had at the least two endoscopically confirmed outcomes, with screenings earlier than the age of fifty. The nurses had been adopted for over 24 years, and so they discovered 1,189 circumstances of early-onset typical adenomas.
On this group, the ladies consumed about 5.7 servings of ultra-processed meals a day, which was about 35% of their complete day by day energy. They are saying this was barely decrease than the U.S. nationwide common, which is a bit scary.
However the ladies who consumed the best quantities of ultra-processed meals, or about 10 servings a day, had a 45% greater threat of creating typical adenomas, that are a precursor most related to early-onset colorectal most cancers.
Within the Harvard Gazette, senior writer Dr. Andrew Chan referred to as this a «linear» threat. The extra UPFs an individual ate, the extra polyps they discovered, with no plateau impact. The chance continued to extend with greater intakes.
Plan a Complete Meals Food plan, or They Will Select UPFs For You
These in depth research throughout Europe and the US paint a constant image that aligns with what Paul Stitt mentioned 40 years in the past. Meals merchandise made with industrial elements by meals business giants are dangerous to your well being. Right here we discover that they trigger most cancers. The extra you eat, the more severe it will get.
Even with out the precise mechanism, it is clear tips on how to repair this downside: Eat much less ultra-processed meals. A complete meals plant-based weight-reduction plan, just like the Hallelujah weight-reduction plan, goes to scale back your ultra-processed meals consumption to principally zero.
There could also be a spot to have public coverage ban components which can be identified to trigger most cancers. This could be a great factor. However you shouldn’t watch for the federal government or public coverage to repair your weight-reduction plan. You are accountable for your individual well being, so care for your physique. In spite of everything, it is the one one you get to reside in whereas right here on Earth.
Swap to Handy Pure Meals As a substitute of UPFs
We have now mentioned what to do and which switches make sense in our earlier article on ultra-processed meals. There are handy, wholesome meals. You simply have to get used to selecting these and ensuring they’re in your home able to seize, as an alternative of ending up selecting no matter is in a merchandising machine or a comfort retailer.
- Apples as an alternative of apple pie.
- Oranges as an alternative of orange juice.
- Nuts and seeds or path combine as an alternative of sweet bars or meat snacks.
- Pure water and even flavored unsweetened water as an alternative of soda pop.
- Complete-grain breads as an alternative of refined white bread. (Clear-label nationwide manufacturers like Dave’s Killer Bread are actually broadly obtainable.)
- Raisins, prunes, and dried apricots as an alternative of sweet.
“In the event you do not fastidiously select what to eat, another person will make that selection for you, and they’re going to choose your weight-reduction plan for you based mostly on their finest pursuits and backside line, not your well being.”
It takes a bit little bit of planning initially, however when you get used to it, it turns into routine, like the whole lot else in your day by day routine. So take this step: Get away from ultra-processed meals to decrease your threat of most cancers and get again to nature.
