Ultra-processed food (UPF) has been unequivocally linked to 32 detrimental health effects, including an elevated risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health, and premature death, according to the largest-ever review of its kind conducted globally.
The world’s most extensive umbrella review of evidence, published in BMJ, highlights the alarming consequences of consuming UPF, such as cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks, ready meals, and fast food, as global consumption continues to soar.
In both the UK and US, over half of the average diet is now comprised of ultra-processed food, reaching up to 80% for some individuals, particularly those who are younger, less affluent, or residing in disadvantaged areas.
The comprehensive findings, involving almost 10 million people, emphasize the urgent need for measures to target and reduce exposure to UPF, as outlined by experts from leading institutions including Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the University of Sydney, and Sorbonne University.
The researchers asserted in BMJ, “Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorders, and mortality outcomes.”
Ultra-processed foods, encompassing packaged snacks, sugary cereals, and ready-to-eat meals, undergo intensive industrial processes and are laden with additives, sugars, and fats while lacking essential nutrients.
This groundbreaking umbrella review, consolidating 45 distinct meta-analyses from 14 review articles involving 9.9 million people, provided compelling evidence associating UPF with 32 adverse health outcomes. The results show a consistent increase in risk across various health parameters.
Convincing evidence indicates a 50% higher risk of cardiovascular disease-related death, a 48 to 53% higher risk of anxiety and common mental disorders, and a 12% greater risk of type 2 diabetes associated with higher UPF intake.
Dr. Chris van Tulleken, a leading UPF expert, commented, “The findings are entirely consistent with an enormous number of independent studies which clearly link a diet high in UPF to multiple damaging health outcomes, including early death.”
Acknowledging limitations in the review, experts caution that the findings don’t establish a cause-and-effect relationship, emphasizing the need for further research.
In a linked editorial, Brazilian academics proposed a framework convention on ultra-processed foods, akin to the tobacco framework, calling for global intervention.
Simultaneously, a Lancet Public Health study suggests that displaying calorie information on menus could prevent over 9,000 heart disease-related deaths in England over the next two decades if adopted by all restaurants and food outlets.
