3 weeks Ago
What the Research Reveals
For each 10% increase in the proportion of ultraprocessed foods in a person’s diet, his or her risk of dying rises by 14%.Carlos Augusto Monteiro, emeritus professor of nutrition and public health at Brazil’s University of São Paulo and coauthor of the study.Initial steps for parsing the health impacts of highly processed foods. Monteiro is the creator of the NOVA system of classifying foods according to the extent and purpose of their processing.
The NOVA system groups foods into four categories. The first is filled with natural, unprocessed foods, such as fruits, vegetables, milk, meat and eggs. The second is from cooking ingredients like oil and herbs. The third group is a mix of groups one and two, is in canned goods and frozen vegetables. The fourth group consists of ultra-processed foods that are low or devoid of whole foods and composed of chemically modified food substances and added isolated nutrients or other synthetic or natural additives, or both, including cosmetic additives.
The human body might not know what to do with these artificial ingredients, and that may be harmful depending on an individual’s bio-vulnerability and the quantity consumed, Monteiro says.
Opposite Opinions and Further Proofs
Some industry insiders, like Sarah Gallo, believe the study’s results could confuse the public. Demonizing ready-to-eat food could restrict access to convenient, affordable and shelf-stable options, which may have detrimental effects on the quality of diets and health inequalities, she cautions.
Nevertheless, previous research supports the connection between ultra-processed foods and poor health. One study published in February 2024 showed a 50% increased risk of cardiovascular-related death and depression in those eating the most ultra-processed food. It also found higher risks of anxiety (53%), obesity (55%), sleep disorders (41%), type 2 diabetes (40%), depression and premature death (20%) with just one extra daily serving claxon.
Another study from May 2024 linked a 10% increase in the consumption of ultra-processed food with increased risks of cognitive decline and stroke. And the same association has been found with upper digestive tract cancers in 2023 research.
A Global Health Concern
The recent report, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, looked at the overall ramifications of eating ultra-processed foods across eight countries. High intake levels in these countries have been associated with, at the high end, nearly 14% of premature deaths, and, at the low end, 4%.
In the United States, which is where ultra-processed foods account for about 55% of the diet, avoidance of such products could prevent more than 124,000 deaths in 2017. By contrast, in lower consumers such as Colombia (15%) and Brazil (17.4%), avoiding intake would have saved almost 3,000 and 25,000 lives respectively.
But experts including Fang Fang Zhang and Nerys Astbury warn that the study’s models are based on an idealized situation of total elimination of all ultra-processed foods. Zhang adds that this may cause overestimations. Meanwhile, Stephen Burgess, of the UK, says the findings does not conclusively prove causation, but that the repeated associations in multiple populations is a cause for concern.
In the end, the results reaffirm fears that ultra-processed foods may be a key factor in worrying international public health trends. While scientists delve deeper into the long-term implications, this evidence suggests there may be reason to take a closer look at dietary habits and public health policies.
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