Ultra-processed foods have long been criticized for their negative health impacts, including their associations with chronic conditions like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. A recent study provides additional evidence of these links and explores the risks associated with specific types of ultra-processed foods.
Ultra-processed foods are gaining popularity for their convenience, taste, and long shelf life, contributing to 57% of the energy intake of U.S. adults. These foods are typically made with a combination of additives, such as stabilizers, sweeteners, and emulsifiers, and are often high in calories, sodium, sugar, and fats.
The study published in The Lancet Regional Health suggests that while ultra-processed foods are associated with heart disease, the level of risk varies depending on the specific type of food, and not all of them have the same detrimental effects.
Artificially sweetened drinks and processed meats pose a particularly high risk for cardiovascular diseases, other ultra-processed items such as bread, cold cereals, yogurt, dairy desserts, and savory snacks are linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular problems.
"Our findings suggest that UPF (ultra-processed food) groups have differential contributions to cardiovascular risk, consistent with a study in the US showing an inverse association of breakfast cereals and adverse associations of processed meat and artificially-sweetened beverages with cardiovascular disease," the researchers wrote.
The researchers suggest that the reduced cardiovascular risk of breakfast cereals and bread might be due to their relatively high content of fiber, minerals, phenolic compounds, and other whole-grain ingredients.
For yogurt and dairy-based desserts, fortification with vitamin B is associated with reduced levels of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke. Although dairy desserts are items that are typically high in saturated fat and added sugar, probiotic bacteria or odd-chain fatty acids in them, may contribute to lower cardiovascular risk.
The findings suggest that consumers should make informed choices based on not only the level of processing but also the nutritional content of the items.
"Total ultra-processed food intake was adversely associated with CVD (cardiovascular disease) and CHD (coronary heart disease) risk in US adults, corroborated by prospective studies from multiple countries, also suggesting a small excess stroke risk. Nutritional advice for cardiovascular health should consider differential consequences of group-specific ultra-processed food," the researchers wrote.
