A single food item has been singled out as the worst offender when it comes to increasing the risk of premature death — and it’s one that many of us eat regularly.
The perils of ultra-processed foods are becoming more widely acknowledged, with thousands joining Professor Tim Spector’s Zoe diet and nutrition programme. However, even among UPFs, one food was identified as particularly harmful.
Research carried out this year by Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health scrutinised the diets and health outcomes of over 114,000 American adults spanning more than three decades. The study found that those who consumed the most ultra-processed food had a 4% higher risk of “all-cause mortality” (death from any cause), and an 8% increased risk of death from neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia.
The research pinpointed four main types of foods associated with an increased risk of death:
- Processed meat
- Artificially sweetened drink
- Dairy-based desserts
- Ultra-processed breakfast foods (eg cereal)
But the Harvard researchers said that, even among those foods: “Processed meat was the type of food most strongly associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality.”
It continued: “Sugar and artificially sweetened beverages, dairy-based desserts and ultra-processed breakfast foods also showed associations with higher all-cause mortality, as did the miscellaneous subgroup, which included mostly artificial sweeteners.”
However, they also added that the key to a healthy diet might not involve cutting out all ultra-processed foods but instead ensuring that your overall quality of diet is high. Report author Mingyang Song, an associate professor of clinical epidemiology and nutrition and report author, explained: “Cereals, wholegrain breads… they are also considered ultra-processed food, but they contain various beneficial nutrients like fiber, vitamins and minerals.
“On the other hand, I do think people should try to avoid or limit the consumption of certain ultra-processed foods, such as processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages and also potentially artificially sweetened beverages. If people maintain a generally healthy diet, I don’t think they need to be scared.”
Why are ultra-processed foods bad for you?
Ultra-processed foods are vastly altered from their original form, often loaded with chemical additives and born out of intense industrial processes designed to ensure longer shelf life, inflate manufacturer profits and enhance taste to entice consumers. They commonly include excessive quantities of salt, sugars, and fats.
While the full impact of consuming these products may not yet be fully understood, there is an escalating amount of research drawing connections between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and numerous health complications ranging from heart disease to depression.
But some scientists have flagged that while observational studies do show a link between certain foods and chronic diseases, this does not necessarily mean that ultra-processed foods are directly causing poor health.
In the recent Harvard study, it was noted that the association between UPF consumption and increased mortality risk diminished once researchers accounted for the overall quality of the diet. This points to the possibility that a nutritious diet, packed with vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains, might outweigh the adverse effects of UPFs.
What is ultra-processed food?
Dr Chris Van Tulleken, an infectious diseases physician at University College London and the best-selling author of ‘Ultra-Processed People’, offers a straightforward explanation: “If it’s wrapped in plastic and it contains at least one ingredient that you don’t typically find in a domestic kitchen, then it’s ultra-processed food.”