Fresh research has established a worrying connection between consuming ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and developing lung cancer, with those eating the highest quantities facing a 41 per cent greater likelihood of diagnosis.
The findings emerge from analysis of more than 100,000 Americans monitored over a dozen years, adding to mounting evidence about the health dangers of UPFs.
These industrially manufactured products, packed with preservatives, additives and flavour enhancers, now constitute the majority of diets in Western countries.
A study previously reported in the British Medical Journal has shown that over 50 per cent of the calories in the typical British diet are derived from UPFs.
GETTY
|New research has established an alarming connection between UPFs and lung cancer
The investigation strengthens existing concerns about ready meals, fizzy drinks and fast food, following earlier research connecting UPFs to 32 detrimental health outcomes.
Scientists examined data from the US Prostate, Lung, Colorectal and Ovarian Cancer Screening Trials, which recruited participants between 1993 and 2001.
The research team analysed dietary information from 101,732 individuals, comprising roughly equal numbers of men and women, averaging 62 years.
During the monitoring period, 1,706 participants developed lung cancer, including 1,473 instances of non-small cell lung cancer and 233 cases of the small cell variety.
Those consuming the greatest amounts of UPFs showed a 37 per cent higher probability of developing non-small cell lung cancer and 44 per cent increased risk for small cell lung cancer.
The investigation particularly scrutinised foods including lunch meats, which represented 11 per cent of UPF consumption, alongside diet or caffeinated soft drinks at just over seven per cent and decaffeinated soft drinks at nearly seven per cent.
Researchers examined a broad range of products, including sour cream, cream cheese, ice cream, fried foods, bread, baked goods, salted snacks, breakfast cereals, instant noodles, shop-bought soups and sauces, margarine, confectionery, and restaurant or shop-bought hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza.
They pointed to the poor nutritional quality of these products, which typically contain excessive salt, sugar and fats while undergoing numerous processing stages with extensive preservative and additive lists.
GETTY
|Mounting evidence is highlighting the health dangers of ultra-processed food
The study's authors highlighted how "industrial processing alters the food matrix, affecting nutrient availability and absorption, while also generating harmful contaminants," specifically mentioning acrolein, a toxic cigarette smoke component found in grilled sausages and caramel sweets.
Rob Hobson, nutritionist and author of Unprocess Your Family Life, emphasised that while the observational research cannot prove causation, it "does strengthen the case for looking more closely at the food environment many people are living in where UPFs are cheap, convenient, and heavily marketed".
He advocated for gradual dietary improvements rather than perfection: "That might mean cooking more from scratch where possible, adding in more whole foods like vegetables, beans and grains, or just becoming more aware of how often UPFs show up in your day."