It's not just tobacco: These foods could increase the risk of lung cancer
Lung cancer is one of the most common and deadly. In 2023 in France, 52,000 cases were diagnosed, and 30,000 people died from it, according to the National Cancer Institute . It is in fact the leading cause of death from cancer in men, and the second in women. While today we know that the majority of lung cancers are due to tobacco, links with diet have also been highlighted.
Chinese researchers recently analyzed the health data of more than 100,000 people between the ages of 55 and 74, who were followed for approximately 12 years. Their diet and health status were studied. After taking into account several factors, such as smoking, the researchers observed that people who consumed the most of a certain type of food had a 41% higher risk of being diagnosed with lung cancer than those who ate the least.
These are ultra-processed foods. Increasingly consumed, these foods, which contain various chemical substances, have been linked to numerous diseases: obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer. But the link between ultra-processed foods and lung cancer, which is not immediately obvious, had been little studied until now.
According to the researchers, this link could be due to several factors. First, a low fruit and vegetable intake, for example, provides few protective substances like antioxidants. Additives found in ultra-processed foods are also suspected of increasing the risk of lung cancer, particularly carrageenan and acrolein. Finally, plastic packaging could also play a role.
Other previous studies have already highlighted worrying links. "Previous cohort studies have shown that greater adherence to the Western dietary pattern characterized by high intakes of ultra-processed foods was associated with a higher risk of lung cancer," state the authors of the study published on July 29, 2025.
According to research from the International Agency for Research on Cancer cited by the Léon Bérard Center , "a consumption of < 300g of fruit/day is responsible for 10.1% of bronchopulmonary cancers." Further research is needed to confirm and clarify this link between ultra-processed foods and lung cancer. The studies currently available are in fact only observational, so they cannot conclude a cause-and-effect relationship.
In the meantime, the best way to limit the risk of lung cancer is, of course, to avoid tobacco (in all its forms). Minimizing the consumption of ultra-processed foods is always recommended for good health.
L'Internaute
