An unpublished study presented at the American Academy of Nutrition annual meeting in Chicago on Sunday found that increased consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) could shorten life expectancy by more than 10 percent — a figure that rose to 15 percent for men and 14 percent for women after adjusting for the data. According to Erica Loftfield:senior study author and research scientist at the National Cancer Institute.
The study analyzed dietary data from approximately 541,000 participants aged 50 to 71 years. National Institutes of Health/AARP Diet and Health Study A study conducted in 1995. The researchers correlated dietary data with mortality rates over the next 20 to 30 years. The study found that those who consumed the most UPF had a higher risk of dying from heart disease and diabetes compared to those in the bottom 10% of UPF intake. Interestingly, the researchers did not find an increased risk of cancer-related death, a common health hazard that many researchers have mentioned in the past. Previous research.
“Highly processed meats and soft drinks are some of the subgroups of ultra-processed foods that are most strongly associated with mortality risk,” Loftfield told CNN.
Diet soda contains artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame potassium, and high fructose corn syrup, as well as other additives not found in raw foods. Diet soda has also been linked to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, stroke, and poor gut health. Processed meats include bacon, hot dogs, sausages, ham, jerky, and deli meats. Consuming such products increases the risk of stomach cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and premature death.
A recent study also found that younger, more obese people consumed the most UPF and had poorer dietary quality overall. As for limitations, the study noted that the dietary data used was collected only once, more than 20 years ago.
“Our study is too conservative and likely underestimates consumption of ultra-processed foods,” Loftfield said, “and intake has likely increased over the last few years.”
