The impact of ultra-processed foods

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We all know that processed food is bad for us. But how bad exactly? And what can it do to our health? Bryan Hubbard reports

When it comes to manufactured food, there’s processed and ultra-processed, at least according to the NOVA scale created by researchers at the University of São Paulo in Brazil.¹

Not surprisingly, it’s the ultra-processed foods (UPFs) that are especially bad for us. They include supermarket bread, prepared meals, breakfast cereals, sausages, biscuits, pastries and cakes, chips, colas and fruit juices.

UPFs go through a further industrial process: bread that is made from wheat flour, water, salt and yeast is processed, but it becomes a UPF when emulsifiers or colorings are added. Similarly, adding sugar, flavorings or colorings to plain oats also makes them a UPF.

UPFs represent around 58 percent of the total diet of the average American and Briton—but what are ultra-processed foods doing to our health?

A research team from Deakin University in Australia analyzed 45 studies that had involved nearly 10 million people around the world and discovered the foods were linked to 32 health problems, including overall mortality; cancer; diabetes; heart, respiratory and gastrointestinal issues; and even mental health problems such as anxiety.²

Depending on the amount eaten, a diet that’s high in UPFs can increase the risk of dying from heart disease by as much as 62 percent.

In an accompanying editorial, the researchers at São Paulo University commented: “No reason exists to believe that humans can fully adapt to these products.”