- Ultra-processed foods include candy, chips, chocolate, some bread, and muffins.
- It also includes ‘healthy’ low-calorie drinks, protein bars, and some cereal bars.
- The study authors do not name any specific product by brand, only the types of food
Having a single serving of ultra-processed foods including chips, candy, chocolate and hamburgers can increase your risk of dying from heart disease by 9%, a study shows.
Researchers at New York University used data from a study of 3,003 middle-aged adults to examine the role of processed foods in cardiovascular disease.
The team found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and worsens the more you eat.
“Our findings add to a growing body of evidence suggesting the cardiovascular benefits of limiting ultra-processed foods,” said Filippa Juul, lead author of the study.
Drinking low-calorie sodas and other “healthy” brand name snacks, including cereals and protein bars, was also associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
When foods are processed, they can remove good nutrients and other natural benefits, while adding non-beneficial nutrients and food additives.
Processing also changes the physical structure of food, the team added.
The consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to a number of health conditions and problems.
Including: Overweight / Obesity, High Blood Pressure, Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes, and now Heart Disease.
“The consumption of ultra-processed foods constitutes more than half of the daily calories in the average American diet and they are consumed increasingly around the world.
“Since poor diet is a major modifiable risk factor for heart disease, it represents a critical target in prevention efforts,” Juul said, adding that ultra-processed foods include many that are marketed as healthy.
This includes foods like protein bars, breakfast cereals, and most industrially produced breads.
“Population-wide strategies are needed, such as taxes on sugary drinks and other ultra-processed foods, and recommendations on levels of processing in national dietary guidelines,” Juul warned.
That is if governments want to reduce the intake of ultra-processed foods and, in turn, help people lead a healthier lifestyle.
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“Of course, we must also implement policies that increase the availability, accessibility and affordability of nutritious and minimally processed foods, especially in disadvantaged populations,” added the author.
“On a clinical level, there is a need for a greater commitment to individualized nutritional counseling to adopt sustainable heart-healthy diets.”
The researchers used data from the Framingham Offspring Study to examine the role ultra-processed foods play in cardiovascular disease (CVD).
After excluding participants with pre-existing CVD or missing data, the study included 3,003 middle-aged adults with a mean age of 53.5 years.
More than half of the participants were women, 33.1% had received 16 or more years of education, and two-thirds were smokers or former smokers.
Overall, 5.8% had diabetes and 19% had high blood pressure, with the prevalence of both higher among those who eat a lot of ultra-processed foods.
Diet was assessed by mail using a food questionnaire in which participants reported the frequency of consumption of certain foods in the previous year, with options ranging from less than one serving per month to six servings per day.
The US Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database was used to calculate nutrient intake from reported dietary intakes and classified foods into five categories.
These categories include fresh or unprocessed foods, processed including sugar and oils, processed including canned foods, ultra-processed including fast food hamburgers and fries, and finally homemade culinary foods with minimal information. .
The researchers looked at incidences of strokes, heart disease, and other related problems that appear suddenly and slowly over time.
This was divided into serious cardiovascular diseases, including non-sudden coronary death, heart attack and stroke, and severe coronary heart disease (coronary artery disease), sudden death, and heart attack.
During an average of 18 years of follow-up, a total of 648 cardiac events occurred, including 251 cases of sudden cardiovascular disease and 163 cases of sudden coronary disease among those involved in the study.
There were 713 deaths during the follow-up period, including 108 deaths from cardiovascular disease.
Participants with the highest intake of ultra-processed foods had higher incidence rates compared to those with the least amount of ultra-processed foods.
Each daily serving of ultra-processed foods was associated with a 7% increase in the risk of hard CVD, a 9% increase in the risk of hard CVD, a 5% increase in general CVD, and a 9% increase in the risk of mortality from cardiovascular diseases. .
The researchers also found that bread intake was associated with an increased risk of hard CVD, hard CHD, and overall mortality, while ultra-processed meat intake was associated with an increased risk of hard CVD and CVD in general.
Salty snacks were associated with an increased risk of hard CVD and CHD, while consumption of low-calorie soft drinks was associated with an increased risk of CVD.
The findings have been published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.