Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are convenient, ready-to-eat or heat industrial formulations that are made with ingredients that were extracted from whole foods or those that were synthesized in laboratories. Ultra-processed foods contain little to no resemblance to whole foods in their composition or nutritional profiles.
Industrialization of the food chain
Unfortunately, ultra-processed foods have been replacing traditional whole foods and home-cooked meals made from fresh and minimally processed ingredients since the industrialization of the food chain in the 19th century. However, the 20th century brought about artificial flavors, flavor enhancers, colors, preservatives, emulsifiers, frozen meals, ready-to-eat, and other convenience foods that radically changed the way people eat.
“UPFs affect health beyond the individual impact of 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 colorants, artificial flavors 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 of the study Eduardo Augusto Fernandes Nilson, DSc, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Brazil.
Investigating ultra-processed foods and premature deaths
Previous studies focused on specific dietary risk factors rather than food patterns, while this study focused on data from 8 countries to link dietary patterns, taking into consideration the extent and purpose of industrial processing of food to death from all causes. Ultra-processed food consumption is associated with 32 different diseases, including obesity, diabetes, depression, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancer. This study estimated the burden of this intake of ultra-processed foods on premature deaths from all causes in different countries, showing that the attributable mortality is significant in all settings. The researchers believe that addressing ultra-processed food consumption should be a global public nutrition priority.
This global study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, analyzed national representative surveys and mortality data from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, the United Kingdom, and the United States showing that premature deaths attributing to the consumption of ultra-processed foods have increased significantly according to their share in a person’s total energy intake. Their findings highlight the call for global action to reduce UPF consumption, which should be supported by regulatory and fiscal policies to foster healthier environments.
Linear association
“We first estimated a linear association between the dietary share of UPFs and all-cause mortality, so that each 10% increase in the participation of UPFs in the diet increases the risk of death from all causes by 3%. Then, using the relative risks and the food consumption data for all countries (ranging from 15% of the total energy intake in Colombia, to over 50% of the calories in the United States), we built a model that estimated that the percentage of all-cause premature preventable deaths due to the consumption of UPFs can vary from 4% in countries with lower UPF consumption to almost 14% in countries with the highest UPF consumption.”
“For example, in 2018, 124,000 premature deaths were attributable to the consumption of UPFs in the United States,” explained Dr. Nilson.
“It is concerning that, while in high-income countries UPF consumption is already high but relatively stable for over a decade, in low- and middle-income countries the consumption has continuously increased, meaning that while the attributable burden in high-income countries is currently higher, it is growing in the other countries. This shows that policies that disincentivize the consumption of UPFs are urgently needed globally, promoting traditional dietary patterns based on local fresh and minimally processed foods,” noted Dr. Nilson.
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