Eating ultra-processed foods: Like to overindulge in packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals, and ready-to-eat or hot foods? Be warned, it may shorten your lifespan and increase your risk of early death, according to a 30-year-long study published in The BMJ journal on Thursday.
The risk is because ultra-processed foods often contain colors, emulsifiers, flavors and other additives and are usually high in energy, added sugar, saturated fat and salt, but lacking in vitamins and fiber – leading to poor health. It happens and increases. Risk of obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, which can further increase the risk of heart diseases and cancer.
Eating ultra-processed foods
For the study, an international team of researchers including the US, Brazil and China tracked the long-term health of 74,563 female registered nurses from 11 US states between 1984 and 2018; and 39,501 male health professionals from all 50 US states from 1986 to 2018 with no history of cancer, heart disease or diabetes.
The results showed that eating an average of 7 servings of ultra-processed foods per day was associated with a 4 percent higher risk of total deaths and a 9 percent higher risk of other deaths, including an 8 percent higher risk of neurodegenerative deaths. The rate of death from any cause among participants in this group was 1,536 per 100,000 person-years.
Additionally, the highest risk of early death was seen from eating meat, poultry, and seafood-based ready-to-eat products, followed by sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages, dairy-based desserts, and ultra-processed foods. Breakfast meals are included.
Although this is an observational study, so no firm conclusions can be drawn about cause and effect, “the findings provide support for limiting consumption of some types of ultra-processed food for long-term health,” the researchers. he said.
“Future studies are needed to improve the classification of ultra-processed foods and confirm our findings in other populations,” they added.
