A study analyzing data from nationally representative dietary surveys and mortality data from eight countries (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, United Kingdom, and United States) shows that premature deaths attributable to consumption of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) increase significantly according to their share in individuals' total energy intake.
A study analyzing data from nationally
representative dietary surveys and mortality data from eight countries
(Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, United Kingdom, and United
States) shows that premature deaths attributable to consumption of
ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) increase significantly according to their share in
individuals' total energy intake
The new study, appearing in the American Journal of Preventive
Medicine, published by Elsevier, 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 that are made with
ingredients extracted from foods or synthesised in laboratories, with little or
no whole foods in their composition.
These have gradually
been replacing traditional foods and meals made from fresh and minimally
processed ingredients.
Lead investigator of the study, Eduardo Augusto Fernandes Nilson,
DSc, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Brazil, says,
"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."
While previous studies focused on specific dietary risk factors
instead of food patterns, the current study modeled data from nationally
representative dietary surveys and mortality data from eight countries
(Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, United Kingdom, and United
States) to link dietary patterns, considering the extent and purpose of
industrial food processing, to deaths from all causes.
High consumption of UPFs has been associated with 32 different diseases, including cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, some types of cancer, and depression.
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