How eating ultra-processed foods could lead to increased risk of death, study shows

Whole foods in their natural state -- such as fresh fruit and vegetables, grains and lean proteins -- are up against rapidly growing options for ready-to-eat, ultra-processed packaged bites that underdeliver on flavor and nutrition after being refined from what was once a nutrient-dense ingredient into an amalgamation of artificial laden products.

A new 30-year correlation study published Wednesday in the British Medical Journal found that diets high in ultra-processed foods -- such as ready-to-eat meats and artificially sweetened beverages -- are associated with slightly increased risk of death.

Ultra-processed commercial, packaged foods that are made mostly of industrial-generated colors and additives make up the majority of the average American daily intake in 2018 and are now linked to a modest increase in death.

Researchers from Harvard University's TH Chan School of Public Health investigated dietary logs of more than 100,000 U.S.-based health professionals, and categorized these logs into four groups: unprocessed, minimally processed, processed and ultra-processed foods.

The participants had no history of cancer, cardiovascular disease, or diabetes at the start of the study and self-reported updates on lifestyle habits and health via questionnaires every two years.

The study's lead author, Dr. Mingyang Song, an associate professor of clinical epidemiology and nutrition at Harvard’s School of Public Health, cautions that not all processed foods are created equally. For example, ultra-processed whole grains don't pose the same risks as processed meats and sugary foods or drinks.

The ultra-processed group, especially those consumers who consistently reported intake of ready-to-eat meat, poultry, and seafood, had a 4% increase in risk of death at the 30-year follow-up.

Sugar sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages, dairy-based desserts, and breakfast foods, were other ultra-processed products associated with an increase in reported deaths at follow-up.

The study also looked more closely at organ-system specific causes of death, finding that consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with with an 8% increase in a risk of death from brain disease such as dementia.

"Sauces, spreads and condiments” as well as “sweet snacks and desserts" made up the majority of the ultra-processed foods in this study, but neither of the diets were directly associated with increased risk of death.

The study defined "ultra processed" foods based on a nutritional database from 2014, so food products referenced in this specific study may have changed over time. Reformulations could limit how this data applies to food products in 2024.

Additionally, when considering the data from this study, any recipe that included a single ultra-processed ingredient was classified into that larger category grouping, which could overgeneralize a participant's diet pattern.

The study also did not account for variable socioeconomic backgrounds, which is a known driver of America consumer food purchasing decisions.