Confirmed risk of premature death due to overuse of ultra-processed foods

MADRID, May 9. (EUROPE PRESS) –

Higher consumption of most ultra-processed foods is associated with a slightly higher risk of death; Ready-to-eat meat, poultry and seafood, sugary drinks, dairy desserts and highly processed breakfast foods have the strongest associations, according to a 30-year US study published in the journal BMJ by Mingyang Song, assistant professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition. T.C. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, USA.

The researchers say that not all ultra-processed foods should be restricted across the board, but their findings “support the need to limit consumption of certain types of ultra-processed foods for long-term health.”

Ultra-processed foods include packaged baked goods and snacks, soft drinks, sugary cereals, and ready-to-eat or processed foods. They often contain colors, emulsifiers, flavors and other additives, are often high in energy, contain sugar, saturated fat and salt, but lack vitamins and fiber.

There is growing evidence linking ultra-processed foods to an increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and bowel cancer, but few long-term studies have examined the association with all causes and specific causes of death, particularly those due to cancer.

To fill this knowledge gap, researchers tracked the long-term health of 74,563 registered nurses from 11 U.S. states as part of the Nurses’ Health Study (1984–2018) and 39,501 male health care workers from all 50 U.S. states as part of the Health Monitoring Study. workers. Study (1986–2018) with no history of cancer, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes at study entry.

Every two years, participants provided information about their health and lifestyle, and every four years they completed a detailed dietary questionnaire. Overall diet quality was also assessed using the 2010 Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) score.

Over an average follow-up period of 34 years, the researchers identified 48,193 deaths, including 13,557 deaths from cancer, 11,416 deaths from cardiovascular diseases, 3,926 deaths from respiratory diseases and 6,343 deaths from neurodegenerative diseases.

Compared with participants in the lowest quartile consuming ultra-processed foods (average 3 servings per day), participants in the highest quartile (average 7 servings per day) had a 4% higher risk of total death and a 9% increased risk . other deaths. deaths, including an 8% increased risk of neurodegenerative death.

There was no link found between deaths from cardiovascular disease, cancer or respiratory disease. In absolute numbers, the death rates from any cause among participants in the lowest and highest quarters of ultra-processed food consumption were 1,472 and 1,536 per 100,000 person-years. , respectively.

The association between ultra-processed food consumption and death varied depending on the specific food group, with ready-to-eat meat, poultry, and seafood showing the strongest and most consistent association, followed by sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages, and dairy products. based on desserts. and ultra-processed breakfast foods. And this association was less pronounced after taking overall diet quality into account, suggesting that diet quality has a stronger impact on long-term health than consumption of ultra-processed foods, the authors noted.

This is an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, and the authors note that the ultra-processed food classification system does not reflect the complexity of food processing, which can lead to misclassification. In addition, participants were predominantly white healthcare professionals, limiting the generalizability of the results.

However, this was a large study with a long follow-up period, used detailed, validated, and repeated measures, and the results were similar after additional analyses, providing greater confidence in the conclusions. The researchers emphasize that not all ultra-processed foods should be restricted across the board, and say that oversimplification should be avoided when formulating dietary recommendations.

“The results support the need to limit consumption of certain types of ultra-processed foods for long-term health,” adding that “future research is needed to improve the classification of ultra-processed foods and confirm our findings in other populations.” they conclude.