You’ll find them everywhere, and for a busy day, they’re a quick and easy option.
The consumption of highly processed convenience foods is on the rise. And numbers out Norway, The United States in some other European countries show that in some places they make up nearly half of the food we buy.
But the consequences are greater than previously thought: Recent studies have found a link between processed foods and a higher risk of dementia, premature death and cancer.
Low nutritional value doesn’t explain everything
Examples of highly processed foods are sodas, ready meals, chips and pastries. But also long-life bread, ready-made desserts, some cold cuts and lots of breakfast cereals.
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Many of these products contain additives, such as flavor enhancers, preservatives, and artificial colors.
They also undergo a series of industrial processes that destroy the natural structure and extract important nutrients, such as vitamins and fiber, from food.
And this can have far-reaching consequences for our health, and more than we think. For example, two recent studies show that low nutritional value by itself does not explain why food is bad for us.
Increased risk of some cancers
In the first study The researchers looked at 22,895 Italian adults and found that participants who consumed the most processed foods also had a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and of dying prematurely from any cause.
In the second study Researchers at Harvard University and Tufts University concluded that men who consumed many highly processed foods had a 29% higher risk of colon and rectal cancer.
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Interestingly, the risk of both premature death and cancer remained high even when researchers took into account poor nutritional quality. So it is not enough to eat something more nutritious, because there is more at stake than nutrients.
In a third study The researchers looked at 72,083 adults at a large British biobank and found a possible link between an increased risk of dementia and highly processed foods. Read more about the study here.
The exact cause of the increased risk of dementia, premature death, and cancer is unknown. But in the Italian study, the researchers found increased white blood cell counts in people who ate a lot of highly processed foods.
And this can be a sign of chronic inflammation in the body, which can damage tissues and increase the likelihood of a number of chronic diseases.
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