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A new review of 45 meta-analyses covering nearly 10 million people found that eating ultra-processed foods increases your risk of developing dozens of harmful health conditions or dying.

“We found consistent evidence linking increased intake of ultra-processed foods to more than 70% of the 45 different health outcomes we assessed,” says Deakin University Food & Mood in Geelong, Australia. said Wolfgang Marx, senior researcher at the center and lead author. ,on mail.

In an email, Heinz Freisling, a scientist in the nutrition and metabolism division of the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer, said in an email that the higher intake is about one serving per day, or about 10% more ultra-processed food. He said it was thought to be food.

“This rate can be considered a ‘baseline,’ and for people who consume above this baseline, there may be an increased risk,” said Freisling, who was not involved in the study.

Researchers rated each study as having reliable or strong evidence, very suggestive, suggestive, weak, or no evidence. The authors said all of the studies reviewed were published in the past three years and none were funded by companies involved in the production of ultra-processed foods.

“There is strong evidence that high intakes of ultra-processed foods are associated with an approximately 50% higher risk of cardiovascular disease-related death and common mental disorders,” said the lead author. said Dr. Melissa Lane, a postdoctoral researcher at Deakin University. Email. Cardiovascular disease includes heart attacks, strokes, clogged arteries, and peripheral artery disease.

A study published Wednesday in the journal BMJ found that high versus low intakes of ultra-processed foods increased the risk of anxiety disorders by up to 53% and the risk of premature death from any cause by 20%. There was compelling evidence that this could increase. .

“It’s no surprise that there are a number of studies showing a positive association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and the risk of various disease outcomes,” said Dr. said Associate Professor and cancer epidemiologist Fan Fan Chan. At Tufts University in Boston. She was not involved in the new study.

“Ultra-processed foods are high in calories, have added sugar and sodium, and are low in fiber,” Chan says. “All of these are already known to contribute to cardiometabolic health, weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension.”

However, Chan questions the results of studies on anxiety and depression, which tend to only be conducted on people who have already been diagnosed with such conditions.

“People with depression or anxiety may seek out ultra-processed foods for a variety of reasons, including to comfort themselves,” she says. “Eating ultra-processed foods may not increase your risk of depression, but we don’t know.”

Researchers found that eating more ultra-processed foods was associated with a 55% increased risk of obesity, a 41% increased risk of sleep disorders, a 40% increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and a 20% increased risk of depression. found suggestive evidence.

However, analyzes have shown that ultra-processed food intake and cardiometabolic risk factors such as high blood fats and low levels of “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol are associated with asthma, gastrointestinal health, and Evidence of associations with health was limited.

Additionally, the study found only suggestive evidence or no evidence for a link between ultra-processed foods and cancer. This is surprising, said Chan, who studies the role of ultra-processed foods and cancer.

“Obesity is a risk factor for 13 types of cancer. Ultra-processed foods increase weight gain and obesity increases cancer,” she said. In an August 2022 study she co-authored, Dr. Zhang found that men who ate the most ultra-processed foods of all types had a 29% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer.

One reason for the unexpected finding is that research on ultra-processed foods is still in its infancy, said study co-author Mathilde Touvier, head of research at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research, a public research institute. said.

“More studies are definitely needed to increase the weight of evidence on cancer, for example,” said Touvier, who is also the principal investigator of the NutriNet Santé Cohort, a long-term study of the relationship between nutrition and health. said.

“So it’s not because there’s nothing out there, it’s because we need additional research,” she said.

Dr. Carlos Monteiro, a nutrition researcher and director of the Health and Nutrition Epidemiology Research Center at the University of São Paulo in Brazil, said ultra-processed foods are not just “processed” foods. He was not involved in the new research.

“They are formulated with cheap ingredients, often chemically manipulated, such as modified starches, sugars, oils, fats, and protein isolates, with few added natural foods,” says the study in nutrition and public health. Professor Monteiro said in an accompanying editorial.

Monteiro coined the term ultra-processed foods in 2009 when he developed NOVA, a system that categorizes foods into four categories. Group 1 consists of unprocessed or minimally processed foods such as fruits, vegetables, eggs, and milk. Group 2 includes cooking ingredients such as salt, herbs, and oil. Group 3 is processed foods that are a combination of Groups 1 and 2, such as canned and frozen vegetables.

Group 4 are ultra-processed foods, which are made flavorful and appealing through the use of a combination of artificial flavors, colors, thickeners, and other additives, and which are “confirmed by experimental and epidemiological evidence. “It’s been associated with gut microbiome imbalance and systemic inflammation,” Monteiro said.

“There is no reason to believe that humans can fully adapt to these products,” Monteiro wrote in an editorial. “The body can react to them as either useless or harmful, so depending on its vulnerability and the amount of ultra-processed foods consumed, the body’s systems can be compromised or damaged.”

Since Monteiro’s definition of ultra-processed foods emerged, nutritionists, researchers, and public health officials have recognized the prevalence of such foods in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and many developing countries. I have concerns.

“Two-thirds of the calories consumed by children in the United States are ultra-processed, and about 60 percent of adults’ diets are ultra-processed,” Chan said.

“I think it’s like when we invented the car,” she added. “Yes, cars bring us convenience, but problems arise when we use them for everything and don’t exercise. New strategies to lower ultra-processed food consumption to healthier levels is required.”

There is a simple solution. It’s about buying real food and cooking it at home. Experts say it’s very simple. But experts also agree that in today’s fast-paced world, it’s hard to give up the convenience of ready-to-heat, ready-to-eat foods. Moreover, with more than 70% of the US food supply made from ultra-processed foods, it is nearly impossible to avoid temptation.

Monteiro said regulations from public health agencies and governments should be considered, such as putting warning labels on the front of the package. Restrictions on advertising, especially to children. and banning the sale of ultra-processed foods in or near schools and hospitals, while making minimally processed foods more affordable and available.

In the meantime, Marx and Lane offered the following advice:

1) Read and compare product labels to choose less processed alternatives. For example, swap flavored yogurt for plain yogurt with added fruit.

2) What you include is just as important as what you exclude. Look at what you can add to your diet, such as fresh, frozen, or canned fruits, vegetables, beans, and legumes.

3) Be careful with your drinks. Sugary drinks have no nutritional value. Replace them with water.

4) When eating out, go to local restaurants and cafes instead of fast food chains. Local restaurants are less likely to produce ultra-processed foods.