Consumption of specific types of ultra-processed foods, such as meat, seafood products, and sugary drinks have been identified as risk factors for early death, according to a recent study.
Conducted over a period of 3 decades, the study, published in the BMJ, utilized data from the Nurses’ Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, that encompassed a total of 114,064 participants.
The researchers’ findings indicated that when comparing, participants in the highest quarter of ultra-processed food consumption experienced a 4% increase in all-cause mortality compared with those in the lowest. The increased risk was particularly pronounced for deaths from non-cancerous and non-cardiovascular causes, such as respiratory and neurodegenerative diseases, which saw a 9% increase, according to the study results.
Ultra-processed foods are defined in the study as “ready-to-eat.” These products, “typically of low nutritional quality and high energy density, have been dominating the food supply of high-income countries, and their consumption is markedly increasing in middle-income countries,” noted researchers. They also noted that consumption accounts for 57% of daily energy intake in U.S. adults and 67% in U.S. youth.
Their analysis further identified specific subgroups of ultra-processed foods strongly linked to higher mortality rates including meat, poultry, and seafood products, as well as sugar- and artificially sweetened beverages.
On the other hand, the researchers mentioned higher dietary quality, assessed using the Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 score, correlated with reduced mortality, suggesting that the overall quality of diet may mitigate some risks associated with high consumption of ultra-processed foods.
These findings highlighted the importance of considering both the type and quality of foods in dietary recommendations. “Limiting total ultra-processed food consumption may not have a substantial influence on premature death” the researchers’ explained. But “reducing consumption of certain ultra-processed food subgroups (for example, processed meat) can be beneficial.”
The study was supported by grants from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, and the authors declare no competing interests.
