A new study out of Italy finds ultra-processed foods may pose a serious risk to cancer survivors.
The study of more than 800 cancer survivors found those who ate the highest amounts of ultra-processed food had a 48 percent greater risk of dying from any cause and a 59 percent higher risk of dying from cancer.
“It will be important to tell people to be very aware of the risks associated with the diet,” said lead researcher Marialaura Bonaccio.
Bonaccio says the risk could be even higher in the United States, where about 60 percent of the average diet is made up of ultra-processed foods.
“This basically implies that also for these people there should be more attention to reduce the consumption of UPF also in their diet,” she said.
Ultra-processed foods are products that contain high amounts of additives, preservatives, artificial flavors, sugars, and unhealthy fats.
Researchers say most previous studies among cancer survivors focused on nutrients rather than how processed foods are. This study found the more ultra-processed food a cancer survivor eats, the greater the risk of death.
Bonaccio says shoppers can look for clues on food labels to identify ultra-processed items.
“They can count the number of ingredients they find on the foods that they usually buy at the supermarket,” she said, adding that foods with more than five ingredients are likely ultra-processed.
WSB Radio’s Sabrina Cupit contributed to this story.