Evidence linking ultra-processed foods to a range of health issues “needs to be treated with caution”, government scientists said as they called for more rigorous studies to confirm the link. Previous research has linked ultra-processed foods such as ice cream, ham, crisps, mass-produced bread and breakfast cereal to a number of poor health outcomes, including an increased risk of some cancers, weight gain and heart disease.
But experts on the Government’s Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN) said there are “uncertainties around the quality of evidence available”. The academics said the observed associations are “concerning” but called for more studies to thoroughly investigate the link.
Part of the issue is it is tricky to define what counts as an ultra-processed food, they said. This could mean that when studies are conducted, researchers might have different definitions of what an ultra-processed food is and may not come to the same conclusions as someone using a different classification.
