Cancer Survivorship

A new American Association for Cancer Research–backed cohort study following more than 24,000 adults in southern Italy, including 802 cancer survivors, reports that survivors who consumed the most ultraprocessed foods had sharply higher mortality rates than those who ate the least. Over a median 14.6 years of follow‑up, survivors in the top third of ultraprocessed intake by weight had a 48% higher risk of death from any cause and a 57% higher risk of death from cancer, even after accounting for adherence to a Mediterranean‑style diet. The research, led by epidemiologist Marialaura Bonaccio of IRCCS Neuromed, defined ultraprocessed foods under the NOVA classification and highlighted ready‑to‑eat items high in sugar, salt, additives and industrial fats. The authors suggest that additives and processing‑related compounds may drive inflammation, alter gut microbiota and disrupt metabolic processes beyond what is captured by calorie counts or standard nutrient profiles, and estimate that inflammation and elevated resting heart rate together explain about 37% of the observed risk. Because ultraprocessed products make up a large share of what Americans eat, oncologists and nutrition researchers say the findings, while observational, add weight to calls for cancer‑survivorship guidelines that emphasize minimizing heavily processed industrial foods rather than focusing only on macronutrients.