New study links ultra-processed foods to preventable prematu
New study links ultra-processed foods to preventable premature deaths
Beware, a global study on Monday showed that the consumption of such ultra-processed foods (UPFs) can significantly increase the risk of preventable premature deaths
NEW DELHI — Do you regularly eat ready-to-eat-or-heat foods? Beware, a
global study on Monday showed that the consumption of such ultra-processed
foods (UPFs) can significantly increase the risk of preventable premature
deaths.
Previous studies have linked UPFs -- rich in sodium,
trans fats, and sugar -- with 32 different diseases including cardiovascular
disease, obesity, diabetes, some types of cancer, and depression.
The new study analysed data from nationally
representative dietary surveys and mortality data from eight countries
(Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, United Kingdom, and the
US).
The findings published in the American Journal of
Preventive Medicine, show that premature deaths attributable to consumption of
UPFs increase significantly according to their share in individuals’ total
energy intake.
The study reinforces the call for global action to reduce
UPF consumption, supported by regulatory and fiscal policies that foster
healthier environments.
UPFs are ready-to-eat-or-heat industrial formulations
made with ingredients extracted from foods or synthesised in laboratories, with
little or no whole foods in their composition.
"UPFs affect health beyond the individual impact of
the high content of critical nutrients (sodium, trans fats, and sugar) because
of the changes in the foods during industrial processing and the use of
artificial ingredients, including colourants, artificial flavours, and
sweeteners, emulsifiers, and many other additives and processing aids, so
assessing deaths from all-causes associated with UPF consumption allows an
overall estimate of the effect of industrial food processing on health,"
said lead investigator Eduardo AF Nilson, from the University of Sao Paulo in
Brazil.
The team initially estimated a linear association between
the dietary share of UPFs and all-cause mortality so that each 10 per cent
increase in the participation of UPFs in the diet increases the risk of death
from all causes by 3 per cent.
Then, using the relative risks and the food consumption
data for all countries (ranging from 15 per cent of the total energy intake in
Colombia to over 50 per cent of the calories in the US), they built a model.
The results estimated that the percentage of all-cause
premature preventable deaths due to the consumption of UPFs can vary from 4 per
cent in countries with lower UPF consumption to almost 14 per cent in countries
with the highest UPF consumption.
The team raised concerns that consumption of UPFs in
high-income countries UPF while already high is relatively stable for over a
decade. On the other hand, the consumption has continuously increased in low-
and middle-income countries.
This means that while the attributable burden in
high-income countries is currently higher, it is growing in the other
countries, the researchers said.
"This shows that policies that disincentivise the
consumption of UPFs are urgently needed globally, promoting traditional dietary
patterns based on local fresh and minimally processed foods," Nilson said.
