Human study · Supplements / medicine · 22 Oct 2026
In 461,682 older US adults, total ultra-processed food did not track colorectal cancer; the meat and grain patterns did
Source: PLOS Medicine
What the research found
Study (observational cohort). Leila Abar, Erikka Loftfield, and colleagues report in PLOS Medicine (2026; 23(10): e1005251; DOI 10.1371/journal.pmed.1005251), published 15 Oct 2026. They used the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study: 461,682 Americans who were 50 to 71 years old when they joined in 1995 and 1996. Diet was recorded once at the start. Median follow-up was 18.8 years, through 2018. Total ultra-processed food intake was not associated with colorectal cancer incidence. Higher ultra-processed whole grains, fiber, dairy, and calcium lined up with a lower incidence. Ultra-processed meat lined up with a higher incidence. Replacing 10 percent of ultra-processed food by weight with minimally processed food lined up with a 2 percent lower incidence. Most participants were older white Americans, and the food supply changed after that single questionnaire. This does not show that a processing label causes or prevents cancer. Not medical advice.
Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.
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