The results of two studies recently published in the British medical journal The BMJ found that eating a lot of ultraprocessed foods significantly increases men’s risk of colorectal cancer.

Published in August 2022, the studies, which examined individuals in both the United States and Italy, also found that diets high in ultraprocessed foods can lead to heart disease and early death in both and men and women. Processed and ultraprocessed foods include meats such as bacon, beef jerky, corned beef, ham, hot dogs, and salami.

Various organizations, including the World Health Organization, the American Cancer Society and the American Institute for Cancer Research, have previously warned that those meats are associated with a higher risk of bowel cancer in men and women.

The studies published in August 2022 reported that it’s not just ultraprocessed meats that increase risk for cancer, but also other processed or ultraprocessed foods, including ready-to-eat-or-heat foods such as french fries, prepackaged soups, sauces, frozen pizza, doughnuts, and store-bought cookies and cakes, among others.