Health Talk: Why staying away from ultra-processed foods is a good idea
Health Talk: A recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has reiterated what researchers globally in the past few years have been laying emphasis on that ultra-processed foods are killers.
The study titled ‘Premature Mortality Attributable to Ultraprocessed Food Consumption in 8 Countries’ inferred that ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption contributes to increased risk of all-cause mortality, with 2.7% corresponding rise in risk with each 10% increase in UPF contribution to total energy intake. Needless to say, it is a significantly increased risk.
Health Talk: Ultra-processed foods include packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals, and ready-to-eat or -heat products. They often contain colours, emulsifiers, flavours, and other additives and are typically high in energy, added sugar, saturated fat, and salt, but lack vitamins and fibre.
These foods, commonly called as junk food, are becoming dominant in the global food supply. Prospective cohort studies have consistently found an association between high consumption of ultra-processed foods and increased risk of several non communicable diseases and all-cause mortality.
The researchers said that the study aimed to estimate the risk of all-cause mortality for ultra-processed foods consumption, and estimate the attributable epidemiologic burden of ultra-processed food consumption in eight select countries.
“The meta-analysis showed a linear dose-response association between the ultra-processed food consumption and all-cause mortality… Considering the magnitude of the association between ultra processed foods intake and all-cause mortality and the ultra-processed food dietary share number (percentage ultra processed food) in each of the 8 selected countries, estimations varied from 4% (Colombia) to 14% (United Kingdom and U.S.) of premature deaths attributable to ultra processed food intake,” read the paper.
Health Talk: As part of the research methodology, researchers said in the paper that first, a dose-response meta-analysis of observational cohort studies was performed to assess the association between ultra-processed food consumption and all-cause mortality and estimated the pooled risk ratio (combining the results of multiple studies to estimate a single, overall effect size) for all-cause mortality per each 10% increment in the percentage ultra-processed food.
Then, the population attributable fractions for premature all-cause mortality attributable to the ultra-processed foods in consumption were estimated in eight select countries with relatively low (Colombia and Brazil), intermediate (Chile and Mexico), and high (Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and the U.S.) ultra-processed food consumption, said the researchers.
The analysis was conducted between November, 2023 and July, 2024 in United States of America, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Chile, Mexico, Colombia, and Brazil. The age was between 30 and 69 years.
The average contribution of UPF to total energy intake varied among the countries. Lower UPF consumption was observed in Latin American countries. Whereas, UPF consumption represented <20% of energy intake in Colombia and Brazil, it increased to 20%-30% in Chile and Mexico. UPF consumption increased significantly in the other countries, such as Australia (37.5%) and Canada (43.7%), and exceeded 50% of the energy intake in the United Kingdom and in the US.
Health Talk: The paper also said that although UPF consumption remains lower in low- and middle-income countries, there is evidence that the exposure and adherence to an ultra-processed dietary pattern has increased significantly over the last decades.
“The findings support that ultraprocessed food intake contributes significantly to the overall burden of disease in many countries, and its reduction should be included in national dietary guideline recommendations and addressed in public policies,” read the paper.
“The premature deaths have a large societal relevance because they are mostly preventable and represent high direct and indirect costs to families and economies…,” it added.
It’s high time, people start watching what they eat, and especially what they feed their children as unhealthy children will grow into unhealthy adults.
