BETHESDA, Md. — A high intake of ultra-processed foods may shorten your lifespan by more than 10 percent, according to a new unpublished study of more than 500,000 people whom researchers followed for nearly 30 years.
After adjusting for the data, the risk rose to 15 percent for men and 14 percent for women, said Ericka Loftfield, a research scientist at the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and lead author of the study.
When asked about their intake of 124 different foods, people in the top 90th percentile for ultra-processed food intake said that highly processed beverages were their most common intake.
“Diet drinks are the largest contributor to ultra-processed food consumption, followed by sugar-sweetened drinks,” Loftfield said. “Beverages are a very important part of the diet and also contribute to ultra-processed food consumption.”
Refined grains, such as ultra-processed breads and baked goods, were the next most popular, according to the study.
“This is one of the largest, long-term cohort studies to confirm the association between UPF[ultra-processed food]intake and all-cause mortality, particularly cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes,” Carlos Monteiro, professor emeritus of nutrition and public health at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, said in an email.
Monteiro coined the term “ultra-processed foods” and created the NOVA food classification system, which focuses not only on nutrients but also on how foods are made. Monteiro was not involved in the study, but several members of the NOVA classification system co-authored it.
The NOVA classification system categorizes foods from less processed (whole foods like fruits and vegetables), to processed foods (like deli meats and sausages), to ultra-processed foods. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, ultra-processed foods contain “ingredients that are never or rarely used in the kitchen, or additives that make the final product taste better or more appealing.”
The list of additives includes preservatives to prevent mold and bacteria, emulsifiers to prevent incompatible ingredients from separating, artificial colors and dyes, antifoaming agents, bulking agents, bleaching agents, gelling agents, glazes, and sugars, salts, and fats that are added or modified to make food more palatable.
Health risks associated with processed meat and soft drinks
The preliminary study, presented Sunday at the American Academy of Nutrition’s annual meeting in Chicago, analyzed dietary data collected in 1995 from about 541,000 Americans ages 50 to 71 who were participating in a joint National Institutes of Health/AARP study. Research on diet and health.
The researchers linked dietary data to mortality rates over the next 20 to 30 years. The study found that compared with those in the bottom 10% of ultra-processed food consumers, those who ate the most over-processed foods were more likely to die from heart disease and diabetes. But unlike other studies, they found no increased cancer deaths.
Mr Loftfield said some ultra-processed foods posed a higher risk than others, saying: “Highly processed meats and soft drinks are some of the subgroups of ultra-processed foods that are most strongly associated with mortality risk.”
Diet drinks are considered ultra-processed foods because they contain artificial sweeteners such as aspartame, acesulfame potassium and stevia, as well as additives not found in whole foods. Diet drinks have been linked to an increased risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease, and the development of dementia, type 2 diabetes, obesity, stroke and metabolic syndrome, which can lead to heart disease and diabetes.
“The best decision possible”
of US Dietary Guidelines for Americans People are already being advised to limit their intake of sugary drinks, which have been linked to premature death and the development of chronic diseases. A March 2019 study found that women who drank two or more sugary drinks a day (one standard glass, bottle, or can) had a 63% higher risk of premature death compared to women who drank less than one drink a month. Men who did the same had a 29% higher risk.
Processed meats such as bacon, hot dogs, sausages, ham, corned beef, jerky and deli meats are also not recommended. Research has shown that red and processed meats are linked to intestinal and stomach cancer, heart disease, diabetes and premature death from all causes.
“Evidence from this new study shows that processed meat may be one of the most unhealthy foods, yet people don’t tend to think of ham or chicken nuggets as UPF (ultra-processed foods),” Rosie Green, professor of environment, food and health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who was not involved in the study, said in a statement.
The study found that people who ate the most ultra-processed foods were younger, heavier, and had poorer diet quality overall than those who ate less ultra-processed foods, but these differences cannot explain the increased health risks, because the study found that even people who were normal weight and had good diets still had some risk of premature death from ultra-processed foods.
Loftfield said choosing minimally processed foods was one way to limit ultra-processed foods in one’s diet.
“We should really focus on eating diets that are rich in whole foods,” she says, “and if the foods are ultra-processed, check the sodium and added sugar content and use the Nutrition Facts label to make the best decisions possible.”
