Ultra-processed foods may increase risk of lung cancer

Ultra-processed foods filled with preservatives, additives and flavour enhancers have been linked to an increased risk of lung cancer.

- REBECCA WHITTAKER

In the UK and US, more than half of the average diet consists of ultra-processed foods (UPFs), such as ready meals, fast food and fizzy drinks. A previous BMJ study in 2024 linked UPFs to 32 harmful health effects including a higher risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health and early death.

Now, eating UPFs has been linked to lung cancer, the most common cancer in the world, according to the World Cancer Research Fund.

There were an estimated 2.2 million new cases and 1.8 million deaths from the disease worldwide in 2020, researchers behind the study published in the respiratory journal Thorax said.

But limiting consumption of these foods may help curb the global impact of the disease, the researchers say.

Although there is no exact definition of a UPF, these foods typically undergo multiple processing steps, contain long lists of additives and preservatives, and are ready-to-eat or heat.