A study conducted across eight countries, including the UK and the US, indicates that individuals who consume a high amount of ultra-processed foods may face an increased risk of early mortality. Examples of these ultra-processed foods include processed meats, cookies, sugary beverages, ice cream, and certain breakfast cereals, all of which are becoming more prevalent in diets around the globe.
Published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the research examined previous studies to assess the relationship between ultra-processed food consumption and mortality rates. However, it cannot conclusively establish that UPFs directly cause premature deaths.
This limitation arises because the quantity of ultra-processed foods in a person's diet is closely associated with their overall dietary habits, physical activity, lifestyle choices, and socioeconomic status, all of which can influence health outcomes.
Dr. Eduardo Nilson, the lead author from Brazil, explained that UPFs impact health due to the alterations that occur during industrial processing, which often involve the use of artificial ingredients such as colorants, flavor enhancers, sweeteners, emulsifiers, and various other additives and processing aids.
The study suggests that governments should revise their dietary guidelines to encourage individuals to reduce their intake of certain foods. However, the UK government's expert nutrition panel recently stated that there is no strong evidence linking food processing methods to adverse health outcomes. The findings in the study are derived from modeling the effects of ultra-processed foods on health.
Professor Kevin McConway, emeritus professor of applied statistics at the Open University, expressed caution regarding the study's conclusions, noting that it relies on numerous mathematical assumptions.
"This indicates that it's impossible for any single study to definitively determine whether variations in mortality rates among individuals consuming different levels of ultra-processed foods are genuinely attributable to their consumption of these foods."
"Many ultra-processed foods are rich in certain nutrients," she notes, while pointing out that existing studies have failed to demonstrate that the negative effects of UPFs stem from anything beyond "diets that are high in energy-dense foods that contain significant amounts of fat and sugar." According to Dr. Stephen Burgess from Cambridge University, this type of research cannot conclusively show that consuming ultra-processed foods is detrimental to health.
Instead, the primary factor affecting health may be an individual's overall physical fitness. However, with numerous studies across diverse countries and cultures indicating that UPFs could pose a health risk, Dr. Burgess suggests that "ultra-processed foods might not just be innocent bystanders."
The Food and Drink Federation, which advocates for manufacturers, argues that the label 'ultra-processed food' unfairly stigmatizes a wide range of products that can contribute to a healthy, balanced diet, including yogurt, pasta sauces, and bread. They emphasize that all additives used by food manufacturers are approved by the Food Standards Agency, which ensures their safety for consumption.