A growing body of evidence suggests that consuming too much highly processed food — items like hot dogs, chips, soda and ice cream — can have consequences beyond obesity and high cholesterol.
Foods that are “ultra-processed” contain more artificial ingredients than those that just have added salt, sugar or oil. These foods are ready-to-consume products that are made up entirely or mostly from substances extracted from food (oils, fats, sugar, proteins), derived from food constituents (hydrogenated fats, modified starches), or synthesized, based on organic materials (dyes, flavorings, flavor enhancers and other additives used to alter the food’s sensory properties).
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They usually have very few whole ingredients and contain flavorings, colorings or other additives. Instant noodles, frozen pizza and store-bought cookies typically fall within this category.
In the U.S., ultra-processed food makes up around 57% of daily calories, on average. Based on that, Eduardo Nilson, a nutrition researcher at the University of São Paulo and the study’s lead author, believes the U.S. could expect more premature deaths associated with food.
Many previous “ultra-processed” studies have linked ultra-processed food to other negative health outcomes, including a higher risk for diabetes, cognitive decline, heart disease and cancer. An August study found that people in Italy who consumed ultra-processed food in large quantities had a higher overall risk of death.
Maura Walker, an assistant professor of nutrition at Boston University who wasn’t involved in the research, cautioned that this study did not show that ultra-processed food consumption directly caused premature death — only that there was an association. But the connection makes sense, she said.
Ultra-processed foods can often be identified by their long list of ingredients, many of which you wouldn’t normally find in your own kitchen and are often difficult to pronounce.
But not everything in this category is harmful, according to Dr. Walter Willett, a professor of epidemiology and nutrition at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. For example, whole grain bread and whole grain breakfast cereals are sometimes considered ultra-processed, but they are also sources of dietary fiber, which can lower the risk of heart disease or cancer.
For that reason, Willett said, it’s important to focus on avoiding particular foods that are significantly associated with a risk of premature death.
The results from this study highlight the damage to health that is arising based on the observed trend in Brazil of replacing traditional meals, based on natural or minimally processed foods, with ultra-processed foods. These results also support the recommendation of avoiding the consumption of these kinds of foods.
References:
- https://www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(22)00429-9/fulltext
- https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/highly-processed-food-linked-early-death-study-rcna55455
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4544452/