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Eating Ultraprocessed Foods Increases Risk for Death in Cancer Survivors 

Cancer survivors who consumed high amounts of ultraprocessed foods had an increased risk for all-cause and cancer mortality, regardless of diet quality, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention. Ultraprocessed foods contain lab-made additives and food extracts—such as added sugars, refined carbohydrates and excess sodium—in place of whole, natural ingredients. Examples of ultraprocessed foods include hot dogs, frozen ready-to-eat meals and packaged baked goods. Researchers analyzed food surveys from 802 cancer survivors in Southern Italy who participated in a study assessing diet and risk factors for chronic disease. During a median follow-up of 14.6 years, 281 people died. The cancer survivors who ate the most ultraprocessed foods were 48% more likely to die from any cause during the study than those who ate the fewest. Additionally, those same heavy consumers of ultraprocessed foods had a 57% higher risk of cancer-related mortality. “While a direct association was expected, the observed increase in risk was somewhat larger than expected,” Marialaura Bonaccio, a study author and an epidemiologist at IRCCS Neuromed in Pozzilli, Italy, told Healio. “The association remained even after accounting for overall diet quality, suggesting that the level of industrial food processing may contribute to health outcomes beyond nutritional content alone.” The researchers noted that inflammatory markers and resting heart rate levels contributed to this association. In a November 2021 analysis of this study, researchers found ultraprocessed foods lack the nutrients present in whole foods that help prevent inflammation, while the high levels of sodium, additives and sugar can cause stress to the heart.

Drug Reduces Hot Flashes in Men During Prostate Cancer Treatment 

Oxybutynin, an oral drug used to treat overactive bladder symptoms, helped reduce androgen-deprivation therapy-associated hot flashes in men with prostate cancer, according to a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Researchers followed 81 men with prostate cancer receiving androgen-deprivation therapy who had at least 28 hot flashes per week, the ASCO Post reported. The men received either oxybutynin—at 2.5 milligrams or 5 milligrams twice per day—or a placebo for six weeks. Men who received the 2.5-milligram and 5-milligram doses of oxybutynin experienced nearly five and seven fewer hot flashes per day, respectively. The placebo group reported approximately two fewer hot flashes per day. People receiving oxybutynin had no serious side effects. “Oxybutynin demonstrated clear and clinically meaningful improvements in both hot flash frequency and quality of life for men undergoing hormone therapy for prostate cancer,” Bradley J. Stish, a study author and a radiation oncologist at Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center in Rochester, Minnesota, said in a press release. “These results provide strong support for its use as an effective management option for this challenging and often overlooked side effect of prostate cancer treatment.”

Alcohol Increases Cancer Risk, But Guidelines Don’t Quantify Limits

Growing scientific evidence shows drinking alcohol can increase risk for multiple types of cancer. However, public knowledge of this remains low, which some experts attribute to a lack of federal guidance on alcohol consumption. Experts note that the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Jan. 7, 2026, recommends not drinking alcohol if a person hasn’t started and limiting alcohol intake if a person currently drinks. The guidelines stop short of recommending people stop drinking altogether. Several reports and studies released in 2025 found that less than half of people know that drinking alcohol increases risk for throat, mouth, esophagus, larynx, colon, liver, rectum and breast cancers, Time reported. The National Cancer Institute estimates that alcohol caused 5% of the 1.8 million cancer diagnoses and nearly 4% of the 600,000 deaths in the U.S. in 2019. Researchers have found the body produces a toxic metabolite when it breaks down alcohol, which may increase cancer risk. Alcohol can also elevate estrogen levels, which can increase breast cancer risk. “Using the best data we have, comparing populations [of drinkers and non-drinkers], it appears that even very low levels of drinking—one drink a week—are associated with a measurable increase in risk over time,” Ernest Hawk, the head of prevention and population sciences at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, told Time. “When you’re talking about cancer [and alcohol], there’s no safe level of exposure.”