Ultra-processed foods are getting a lot of attention. Research links them to cancer, heart disease, inflammation, cognitive decline, and diabetes. Meanwhile U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his cohort warn against the dangers of foods with more than five ingredients—Kennedy himself has claimed “highly chemically processed foods” are the chief culprit behind an epidemic of chronic disease in the U.S.
But new research suggests that in addition to chronic disease, ultra-processed foods may be driving premature deaths. A recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is significantly linked to increased premature deaths (between ages 30 and 69).
