What’s REALLY Behind the Rise in Lung Cancer?

If you’ve never smoked, you likely think you’re not at risk for lung cancer.

Think again.

In reality, about 20 percent of lung cancer cases occur in those who don’t smoke. And in specific populations, the numbers are even higher.

In Asian-American women, for example, half of all lung cancer cases occur in women who have never smoked. Among Chinese- and Indian-American women, those numbers jump to a staggering 80 to 90 percent!

What’s causing this increase? The answer might shock you…

Many factors are known to increase lung cancer risk—including air pollution, genetics, and radon.

But there’s a new one to add to the list, and it affects us ALL:

Ultra-processed foods.

A new study analyzing 100,000 people found that people who eat the most ultra-processed foods are 41 percent more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than those who eat the least.

Here’s the kicker… this link remained even after accounting for lifestyle factors like smoking. In fact, the connection was even stronger in non-smokers!

This study wasn’t designed to prove cause and effect, but it shows a strong link that we shouldn’t ignore.

Ultra-processed foods have already been tied to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, mental disorders, and early death.

Not exactly a surprise, since they’re loaded with so many chemicals—including additives, preservatives, dyes, and flavor enhancers—that they barely deserve to be called food anymore. Plus, they’re packed with added sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.

Incredibly, according to current estimates, this junk makes up 70 percent of the American diet!

Even if you eat “healthy,” you could be eating far more ultra-processed foods than you realize. Prepackaged snacks like crackers, chips, and cookies; sodas, breads, frozen meals, instant soup, ice cream, deli meats, hotdogs, breakfast cereal, candy, condiments… the list is endless.

These foods line our grocery store aisles and fill our pantries and refrigerators.

So, if you want to avoid lung cancer, not smoking is still the best place to start. Next, ditch the ultra-processed foods and shop the perimeter of your grocery store instead.

When you make these changes, you’ll be slashing your lung cancer risk—and practically every other chronic disease in the process.

P.S. Is THIS why you never feel 100%?

View Sources

Wang K, Zhao J, Yang D, et al., Association between ultra-processed food consumption and lung cancer risk: a population-based cohort study, Thorax, 29 July 2025. doi: 10.1136/thorax-2024-222100