Diets high in ultra-processed foods can be harmful to every part of the body, a major study has found.
Eating a lot of foods, such as convenience foods, sugary cereals and mass-produced bread, is linked to an increased risk of 32 health problems, including cancer, type 2 diabetes and mental disorders.
Often high in fat, salt and sugar and low in vitamins and fibre, researchers found ‘convincing’ evidence that higher consumption was associated with a 50 per cent greater risk of dying from a heart attack or stroke.
In the largest analysis of evidence to date, involving 10 million people, researchers found that those who ate the most had between 40 and 66 percent greater risk of dying from heart disease.
They were also significantly more likely to be diagnosed with obesity, lung disease and sleep problems.
Your browser does not support iframes.
Likening it to tobacco, they said “government policies and actions are essential” to curb intake and called on public health officials to urgently develop guidelines and “best practices” for ultra-processed foods.
In a linked editorial, they suggest that foods be clearly labeled if they are ‘ultra-processed’.
UPFs refer to items that contain ingredients that people would not normally add when preparing homemade food.
These additives can include chemicals, colorings, sweeteners and preservatives that extend shelf life.
Restrictions should be placed on advertising and sales that are “prohibited in or near schools and hospitals,” they say.
Governments should adopt national dietary guidelines that recommend varieties of minimally processed foods, they say, while taking steps to make freshly prepared meals cheaper and more accessible to all.
Britain ranks worst in Europe when it comes to eating ultra-processed foods, which make up an estimated 57 percent of the national diet.
They are thought to be a major cause of obesity, which costs the NHS around £6.5 billion a year.
They often contain colorings, emulsifiers, flavorings and other additives and typically undergo multiple industrial processes that research has shown affect the physical structure of foods, causing them to be quickly absorbed.
This in turn increases blood sugar levels, reduces satiety and damages the microbiome – the community of ‘friendly’ bacteria that live within us and on which we depend for good health.
Food additives such as non-nutritive sweeteners, modified starches, gums and emulsifiers also appear to affect the microbiome, levels of intestinal inflammation and metabolic responses to food, which can also increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.
An umbrella study conducted by academics in Australia analyzed fourteen review articles published in the past three years that linked consumption to poor health outcomes.
Evidence was rated as convincing, highly suggestive, suggestive, weak, or no evidence.
The Nova system, developed by scientists in Brazil more than a decade ago, divides food into four groups based on the amount of processing it has undergone. Unprocessed foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs and meat. Processed culinary ingredients – which are not usually eaten alone – include oils, butter, sugar and salt
Food experts say some UPFs can be “part of a healthy diet.” Baked beans, fish fingers and wholemeal bread all do the trick, according to the British Nutrition Foundation (BNF). Tomato-based pasta sauces, wholegrain cereals and fruit yoghurts are also ‘healthier processed foods’, says the charity
There was compelling evidence that higher intake was associated with a 50 percent greater risk of death from cardiovascular disease, a 12 percent greater risk of type 2 diabetes and a 48-53 percent greater risk of developing anxiety.
There was ‘highly suggestive’ evidence that eating more ultra-processed foods could increase the risk of death from any cause by a fifth, according to findings published in the BMJ.
This was also the case when it came to obesity, type 2 diabetes, sleep problems and death from heart disease, all of which showed an increased risk of 40 to 66 percent.
Researchers from Deakin University, Australia, also found a 22 percent greater risk of developing depression and a 21 percent greater risk of death from any cause.
The evidence linking UPF intake and asthma, gastrointestinal health, some cancers and intermediate cardiometabolic risk factors remains limited, they said.
In an accompanying editorial, academics from Sao Paulo, Brazil said: ‘Overall, the authors found that diets high in ultra-processed foods can be harmful to most – perhaps all – body systems.’
They wrote: ‘There is no reason to believe that people can fully adapt to these products.
‘The body can react to it as useless or harmful, causing systems to become compromised or damaged depending on their vulnerability and the amount of ultra-processed food consumed.’
UPFs refer to items that contain ingredients that people would not normally add when preparing homemade food. These additives can include chemicals, colorings, sweeteners and preservatives that extend shelf life
They added: ‘Now is the time for United Nations agencies to work with Member States to develop and implement a framework treaty on ultra-processed foods, analogous to the framework on tobacco.’
Further research to determine the different mechanisms by which these foods affect health is also critical, they said, but should not deter policymakers from making urgent changes.
Scientists said there were limitations to the study, including inconsistent data collection methods in the original study.
Commenting on the findings, Gunter Kuhnle, professor of nutrition and nutritional sciences at the University of Reading, said: ‘Many studies also show that people who consume a lot of ultra-processed foods also have unhealthy lifestyles and therefore a higher risk of disease.
‘While many studies attempt to adjust for this, it is virtually impossible to do so completely.’
A Government spokesperson said: ‘We are taking strong action to encourage healthier food choices and tackle obesity – recognizing that it is the second biggest cause of cancer and costs the NHS around £6.5 billion a year – while recognizing the importance respect individual choice.
‘We have introduced calorie labeling on food sold in restaurants, cafes and takeaways to enable people to make informed personal choices about their lifestyle, and our salt reduction program has reduced the amount of salt in food by around 20 per cent.
‘Pre-packaged foods should contain a variety of information to assist shoppers, including a list of ingredients and nutritional information.’