Ultra-processed foods are directly linked to 32 harmful health effects, including a higher risk of: cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, poor mental health, premature death, according to an international study reviewing other individual studies.
The findings from the first comprehensive review of the evidence collected come amid a rapid increase in global consumption of so-called UPFultra-processed foods including cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks, ready meals and fast food.
In the UK and US, more than half of the average diet now consists of ultra-processed foods. For some, especially younger, poorer or underserved consumers, a typical diet includes up to 80% UPF.
From 10 million people the research data
Published evidence shows that a diet high in UPF can be harmful in many areas of health. The results of the survey of nearly 10 million people underscore the need for measures aimed at reducing UPF exposure, the researchers said.
The review involved experts from a number of leading institutions, including the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health in the US, the University of Sydney and the Sorbonne University in France.
In the study published in the British Medical Journal, scientists came to the following conclusion: The consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with 32 health parameters that lead to cancer but also to other serious diseases respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, metabolic, mental many of which lead to death.
“Greater exposure to highly processed foods is associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes” they explain and point out that the research data and their evaluation lead to the need to use measures in the population in the direction of reducing ultra-processed foods, based on public health.
What are super-processed foods?
Photo by Jonathan Cooper – pexels
Ultra-processed foods, including packaged baked goods and snacks, carbonated beverages, sugary cereals, and ready-to-eat or prepared meals, undergo multiple industrial processes and often contain colors, emulsifiers, flavors, and other additives. These products also tend to be high in added sugar, fat and/or salt, but low in vitamins and fiber.
Review of survey data
Previous studies have linked ultra-processed UPF foods to poor health, but no comprehensive review has previously offered a broad assessment of the evidence in this area.
To bridge this gap, researchers conducted a comprehensive review – a high-level summary of evidence – of 45 different pooled meta-analyses from 14 studies linking UPFs with adverse health effects.
Independence from companies the study
All studies were published in the past three years and involved 9.9 million people. None of them were funded by companies involved in UPF production.
Estimates of exposure to ultra-processed foods were derived from a combination of food frequency questionnaires, 24-hour dietary recall, and dietary history and were measured as higher versus lower consumption, additional servings per day, or 10% increase.
Overall, the results show that higher UPF exposure was consistently associated with an increased risk of 32 adverse health outcomes, reports The British Medical Journal.
The high risk rates
Convincing evidence has shown that higher UPF intake is associated with an approximately 50% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, a 48 to 53% higher risk of anxiety and common mental disorders, and a 12% higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
The highly suggestive evidence also showed that higher PF intake was associated with a 21% greater risk of death from any cause, a 40 to 66% increased risk of death related to heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and sleep problems, and a 22% increased risk of depression.
There was also evidence of associations between UPF and asthma, gastrointestinal health, certain cancers and cardiometabolic risk factors such as high blood fats and low levels of “good” cholesterol, although the researchers cautioned that the evidence for these connections remain limited.
UPFs and premature death
Dr Chris van Tulleken, associate professor at University College London and one of the world’s leading experts in the field of UPF, said the findings were “absolutely consistent” with a now “huge number of independent studies that clearly link a diet with high UPF content with multiple adverse health effects, including premature death.”
“We have understood the mechanisms by which these foods cause damage,” he added. “Partly this is due to their poor nutritional profile – they are often high in saturated fat, salt and free sugar.
But how they’re processed is also important – they’re manufactured and marketed in ways that lead to overconsumption – for example, they’re usually soft with lots of calories and aggressively marketed, usually to culturally disadvantaged communities.
In a related article, academics from Brazil stated that UPFs are “created with chemical and cheap ingredients” in order to “make them palatable and attractive by using combinations of flavors, colors, emulsifiers, thickeners and other additives”.
Processed foods, as harmful as tobacco
“The time has come for organizations such as the UN, together with member states, to develop and implement a framework convention on highly processed foods, similar to the tobacco framework.”
Meanwhile, a separate study published in the journal Lancet Public Health suggested that more than 9,000 heart disease-related deaths could be avoided in England over the next two decades if all restaurants, fast food outlets, coffee shops, pubs and takeaways listed the calories on their menus.
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