Catherine Rusoff
New research is adding to the evidence linking ultra-processed foods to health concerns. The study tracked people’s habits over 30 years and found that those who reported eating more of certain ultra-processed foods had a slightly higher risk of death – with four food categories found to be the biggest culprits.
For the study, published in BMJ, researchers analyzed data from more than 100,000 North American adults with no history of cancer, cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Every four years between 1986 and 2018, participants completed a detailed dietary questionnaire.
The data showed that those who ate the most ultra-processed foods – about 7 servings per day – had a 4% higher risk of death from any cause, compared to participants who ate the least amount, a median of about 3 servings. per day.
Ultra-processed foods include “packaged baked goods and snacks, soft drinks, sugary cereals, and ready-to-eat or heat-ready products.” a press release for the annotated study. “They often contain colors, emulsifiers, flavors and other additives and are typically high in energy, added sugar, saturated fat and salt, but lack vitamins and fiber.”
The foods with the strongest associations with increased mortality, according to the study, included:
- Ready-to-eat meat, poultry and seafood products
- Sugary drinks
- Milk-based desserts
- Highly processed breakfast foods
The research included a large number of participants over a long period of time, but had some limitations. As an observational study, no exact cause-and-effect conclusions can be drawn. And the participants were healthcare professionals and predominantly white and non-Hispanic, “limiting the generalizability of our results,” the authors acknowledged.
But they wrote that the findings “provide support for limiting consumption of certain types of ultra-processed foods for long-term health.”
“Future studies are needed to improve the classification of ultra-processed foods and confirm our findings in other populations,” they added.
This study comes after other research published earlier this year found that diets high in ultra-processed foods are associated with a increased risk of 32 harmful health outcomesincluding increased risk of cancer, serious heart and lung problems, gastrointestinal problems, obesity, type 2 diabetes, sleep problems, mental health disorders and early death.
