A major international study has revealed a strong link between high consumption of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) and increased risk of premature death. The findings highlight growing global health concerns over the widespread availability and consumption of these highly industrialized food products.
The study analyzed data from nationally representative dietary surveys and mortality statistics across eight countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Together, these countries represent diverse populations with varying levels of UPF consumption.
The new study, appearing in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, reinforces the call for global action to reduce ultraprocessed foods consumption, supported by regulatory and fiscal policies that foster healthier environments.
UPFs are ready-to-eat-or-heat industrial formulations that are made with ingredients extracted from foods or synthesized in laboratories, with little or no whole foods in their composition. These have gradually been replacing traditional foods and meals made from fresh and minimally processed ingredients.
Lead investigator of the study, Eduardo Augusto Fernandes Nilson, DSc, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Brazil, said that, “Ultraprocessed foods affect health beyond the individual impact of high content of critical nutrients (sodium, trans fats, and sugar) because of the changes in the foods during industrial processing and the use of artificial ingredients, including colorants, artificial flavors and sweeteners, emulsifiers, and many other additives and processing aids, so assessing deaths from all-causes associated with ultraprocessed foods consumption allows an overall estimate of the effect of industrial food processing on health.”
Image credits: freepik | Cropped by GBN
According to the statement, while previous studies focused on specific dietary risk factors instead of food patterns, the current study modeled data from nationally representative dietary surveys and mortality data from eight countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, UK, and US) to link dietary patterns, considering the extent and purpose of industrial food processing, to deaths from all causes.
High consumption of ultraprocessed foods has been associated with 32 different diseases, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, some types of cancer, and depression.
For the first time, this study has estimated the burden of UPF intake on premature deaths from all causes in different countries, showing that the attributable mortality is significant in all settings and that addressing UPF consumption should be a global public nutrition priority.
