Most people know that foods like chips, candy, and hot dogs are unhealthy. But new research suggests that a diet high in ultra-processed foods may actually put you at a higher risk of premature death.
New Research – Posted in BMJ May 8 — Higher intake of ultra-processed foods is associated with a slightly higher risk of death from all causes, especially from causes other than cancer and heart disease, a new study found.
The study adds to what we already know about highly processed foods, said Dr. Valerie Sullivan, an assistant scientist in the department of epidemiology at Johns Hopkins University's Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“There is a growing body of literature linking ultra-processed foods to a number of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease,” she said. health.
This connection led researchers to dig deeper into the impact of ultra-processed foods on overall mortality over the long term.
“There is great interest from both the public and scientific community in understanding the health impacts of ultra-processed foods, which now account for more than 60% of Americans’ daily calories,” said study author Mingyang Song, ScD, associate professor of clinical epidemiology. Department of Nutrition, T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University health.
Here's what experts have to say about the new research and how ultra-processed foods affect your diet, health, and life expectancy.
Before we delve into the study's findings, it's helpful to clarify what “ultraprocessed” foods actually are. The term is relatively new and can be confusing, says Alyssa Pike, RD, senior manager of nutrition communications at the International Food Information Council (IFIC). health. She said a recent IFIC survey found that 70% of Americans do not fully understand what processed foods are.
for purpose BMJ In the study, researchers used a classification system called NOVA, which divides foods into categories based on their culinary use and degree of processing. But in the world of everyday eating, these clinical definitions aren't always the most useful.
Ultra-processed foods are typically high in fat, sugar and salt, have a long shelf life and are “semi-addictive,” according to a 2019 review. Ultra-processed products are likely to contain substances not typically found in traditional food preparation, including added flavors, sweeteners, colors, emulsifiers, and more.
“Considering the complexity [of] Depending on how ultra-processed foods are defined, it may be helpful for consumers to conceptualize ultra-processed foods as foods that cannot be easily recreated in the home kitchen,” Sullivan said.
This may include packaged candies or pastries, artificially colored beverages, deli meats, frozen foods, and flavored chips.
Given how common ultra-processed foods have become in the American diet, there has been a significant amount of research examining how they impact our health. However, previous studies examining the link between ultra-processed foods and mortality risk were “limited by small sample sizes, short time periods, and lack of repeated dietary assessments over long periods of time,” Song explained.
To get a broader picture, Song and his colleagues used 30 years of data from two large cohort studies: the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Collectively, these studies evaluated the diets of more than 172,000 subjects, all of whom responded to food frequency questionnaires every four years starting in the mid-1980s.
The researchers divided the types of ultra-processed foods people ate into nine categories, including breads and breakfast foods, packaged sweet snacks and desserts, and ready-to-eat meat, poultry and seafood products.
Song and his team found that participants who ate the most ultra-processed foods (an average of about seven servings per day) had a 4 percent increased risk of death from all causes. There was also a 9% increased risk of death from causes other than cancer and cardiovascular disease, and an 8% increased risk of death from neurodegenerative diseases.
However, Professor Song pointed out that not all nine categories of ultra-processed foods showed the same effect.
“Certain subgroups of ultra-processed foods showed a much stronger association with mortality.[for example]“Processed meats, sugary drinks, etc. indicate there is significance in reducing consumption of these foods,” he explained.
The fact that certain ultra-processed foods may shorten your lifespan more than others isn't necessarily surprising, Sullivan added.
“Processed meat consumption has been consistently linked to a higher risk of diseases, including heart disease and cancer,” she said. And a large 2019 study found that sugar-sweetened beverages were associated with higher mortality rates from cardiovascular disease.
But on the other side of the spectrum, there are other ultra-processed foods that have much milder health effects, Pike said.
“Some processed foods that are considered ultra-processed under NOVA, such as whole-grain bread or fruit-infused yogurt, are perfectly acceptable choices and should not be discouraged,” she said.
Research shows that some ultra-processed foods may be harmful to our health, yet these foods make up a significant portion of the American diet. It may not be realistic to remove everything packaged and processed from your pantry and refrigerator.
“Removing all ultra-processed foods from your diet would be a radical dietary change that may be difficult to maintain in the current food environment,” Sullivan said.
Instead of strictly cutting back on your diet (which can lead to feelings of limitation and fear), it may be more helpful to think about what you can add.
“Researchers and health experts have shown that adding foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, whole grains, healthy fats, nuts and seeds, lean proteins, beans and legumes can improve your health and potentially reduce the effects of consuming these foods. I agree that it can be offset. It increases your risk of certain diseases,” Pike said.
result BMJ She added that research seems consistent with this idea.
“Improving diet quality (i.e. eating a healthier diet) has alleviated some of the concerns about ultra-processed foods,” Pike said.
Of course, you can also reduce your intake of ultra-processed foods, which have been shown to have the greatest impact on mortality.
“The two ultra-processed foods I recommend avoiding are processed meats (bacon, sausage, most deli meats) and sugar-sweetened beverages,” Sullivan said. [such as] Soda, fruit drinks, sweet tea, lemonade.”