According to a new review, which includes data from 45 meta-analyses involving nearly 10 million people, eating ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of developing disease or death.

“We found strong associations between higher ultra-processed food consumption and more than 70% of the 45 different health conditions we looked at,” said senior author Wolfgang Marx, a lead researcher at the Centre for Nutrition and Mood at Deakin University in Geelong, Australia.

The study looked at increasing the consumption of one serving, or about 10% more, of ultra-processed foods per day. According to the study, published in the journal BMJ, high or low ultra-processed food consumption was associated with a 53% higher risk of anxiety and a 20% higher risk of premature death from any cause.

“It’s not surprising that there are many studies showing a positive association between ultra-processed food consumption and the risk of developing various diseases,” said Fan Fang Zhang, associate professor and director of the division of nutritional epidemiology and data science at Tufts University in Boston. “Ultra-processed foods are high in calories, sugar, and sodium, but low in fiber, all of which are known to contribute to cardiovascular disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension.”

However, Zhang expressed doubts about the results of the anxiety and depression studies, as they are usually conducted on people who already have diagnosed conditions. “People suffering from depressive symptoms or anxiety may turn to ultra-processed foods for various reasons, such as self-soothing. Therefore, it is not certain that consuming ultra-processed foods leads to an increased risk of depression,” she explained.

The researchers also found that eating more ultra-processed foods was associated with a 55% higher risk of obesity, 41% higher risk of sleep disorders, 40% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and 20% higher risk of depression.

However, the evidence for links between ultra-processed foods and asthma, gastrointestinal health, and cardiometabolic risk factors has been limited. “So far, we have only seen suspicious or no associations between ultra-processed foods and cancer. We need more research to confirm these associations,” Zhang concluded.

“Research on ultra-processed foods is still in its early stages. We need to do more work to strengthen the evidence, especially with regard to cancer,” stressed Mathilde Touvier, director of research at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research and principal investigator of the NutriNet-Santé cohort.

What diseases are caused by eating ultra-processed foods

• Gut microbiota imbalance
• Systemic inflammation
• Obesity
• Sleep disorders
• Type 2 diabetes
• Risk of depression
• Cancer
• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Clogged arteries
• Peripheral arterial disease
• Anxiety
• Heart disease
• Adverse mental health conditions
• Early death
• Respiratory diseases
• Gastrointestinal diseases
• Metabolic disorders
• Asthma
• Gastrointestinal health problems
• Cardiometabolic risk factors such as high blood fats and low “good” cholesterol
• Lung disease

How to Reduce Ultra-Processed Food Intake

Since Monteiro coined the term “ultra-processed foods,” nutritionists, researchers, and public health officials have expressed concern about the growing popularity of such foods in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada, and other developing countries.

To reduce the consumption of ultra-processed foods, Monteiro suggests considering regulations by public health agencies and governments, such as warning labels on packaging, restrictions on advertising, especially to children, and bans on the sale of such foods in schools and hospitals, making minimally processed foods more accessible.

Marks and Lane offer the following tips:

Read labels carefully and try to choose less processed alternatives, such as replacing flavored yogurt with plain yogurt and fruit.

Focus not only on what to eliminate, but also what to add, such as fresh, frozen, or canned fruits, vegetables, beans, and legumes.

Pay attention to beverages, avoiding sugar-sweetened beverages and opting for water.

When choosing where to eat, choose local restaurants and cafes that are less likely to have processed foods, rather than fast food chains.