A new international study has found that even small amounts of ultra-processed foods can disrupt men’s health, leading to weight gain, hormonal changes, and reduced sperm quality—regardless of calorie intake.
The research, published in Cell Metabolism, compared men consuming ultra-processed diets with those on minimally processed diets. Despite identical calorie, protein, carbohydrate, and fat levels, participants on ultra-processed diets gained more weight and showed worse health outcomes.
“Ultra-processed foods damage reproductive and metabolic health even when not consumed in excess. It is the processing itself that makes them harmful,” said lead author Jessica Preston of the University of Copenhagen’s NNF Center for Basic Metabolic Research.
The trial followed 43 men aged 20–35, who alternated between three weeks on ultra-processed and unprocessed diets, separated by a three-month washout period. Some men were placed on high-calorie diets, while others ate standard calorie levels for their size and activity.
Men on ultra-processed diets gained around 1 kilogram more body fat than those on unprocessed diets. Cardiovascular markers worsened, while levels of the hormone-disrupting chemical phthalate cxMINP rose. Testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone, both vital for sperm production, declined.
Professor Romain Barrès, also of the University of Copenhagen, voiced alarm over the findings: “We were shocked by how many body functions were disrupted in healthy young men. The long-term implications are serious and call for updated nutritional guidelines to better guard against chronic disease.”
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