Consuming ultra-processed foods is associated with a heightened risk of heart disease-related mortality, type 2 diabetes and 30 other adverse health outcomes, according to a large new analysis published in The BMJ.[1]
Researchers performed an “umbrella review” of 45 different studies performed from 2009 to 2023. Data from nearly 9.9 million participants were included in the team’s final breakdown. None of the included studies were sponsored by companies that produce these products.
Ultra-processed foods include packaged snacks, fizzy drinks, sugar-sweetened cereals, frozen dinners and other ready-to-eat items. These products, the authors explained, go through a wide range of industrial processes and receive multiple additives to “enhance taste, texture, appearance and durability, with minimal to no inclusion of whole foods.”
“The shift from unprocessed and minimally processed foods to ultra-processed foods and their subsequent increasing contribution to global dietary patterns in recent years have been attributed to key drivers including behavioral mechanisms, food environments and commercial influences on food choices,” wrote first author Melissa M. Lane, a researcher with Deakin University in Victoria, Australia, and colleagues. “These factors, combined with the specific features of ultra-processed foods, raise concerns about overall diet quality and the health of populations more broadly.”
Overall, Lane et al. determined that study participants exposed to higher amounts of ultra-processed foods face an increased risk of 32 different adverse health outcomes. Those outcomes included cardiovascular disease-related mortality, type 2 diabetes, anxiety, obesity, sleep problems and depression, among others.
“Evidence for the associations of ultra-processed food exposure with asthma, gastrointestinal health, some cancers, and intermediate cardiometabolic risk factors remains limited and warrants further investigation,” the authors added.
While some parts of the world have already started trying to reverse this trend, the authors emphasized that more work is still needed.
“Coupled with existing population-based strategies, we recommend urgent mechanistic research and the development and evaluation of comprehensive population-based and public health strategies, including government-led policy frameworks and dietary guidelines, aimed at targeting and reducing dietary exposure to ultra-processed foods for improved human health,” the group concluded.
Read the full analysis here.
Michael has more than 16 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.