Studies have found that people who eat a lot of packaged and processed foods are more likely to get certain types of cancer, but we can't say for sure if the foods directly cause the cancer because...

Men who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods have a higher risk of developing colorectal cancer, especially in the distal colon, compared to those who eat less, even when accounting for body weight and overall diet quality.

Eating a lot of highly processed foods, like packaged snacks and ready meals, might raise your chance of getting pancreatic cancer by almost half, according to some big studies on people.

Eating a lot of ultra-processed foods, like packaged snacks and ready-to-eat meals, might raise your chances of getting colorectal cancer by about 30%.

Eating more ultra-processed foods, like packaged snacks and ready meals, might raise your chances of getting cancer by 13% for every extra 10% of these foods in your diet.

Studies show that eating ultra-processed foods does not appear to increase colorectal cancer risk in women, but it is linked to higher risk in men. This difference may be due to biological or dietary factors that vary by sex.