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A new study reveals that increased consumption of so-called “ultra-processed” foods is associated with more than 10% of premature, yet preventable, deaths. A new reason to change your habits?
If you still needed a reason to reduce your daily consumption of industrial foods, here it is: according to a new Brazilian study, the fact of gradually replacing your fresh foods with ultra-processed foods would be linked to more than 10 % of premature deaths from all causes. A worrying finding, especially when you realize that Western countries with higher incomes consume much more of these products than the Brazilian population tested.
What is the impact of ultra-processed foods on premature deaths?
“Previous modeling studies have estimated the health and economic burden of critical ingredients, such as sodium, sugar and trans fats, and specific foods or beverages, such as sugary drinks”explained lead researcher Eduardo AF Nilson of the Center for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health, University of São Paulo. “But to our knowledge, no studies to date have estimated the potential impact of highly processed foods on premature deaths. Knowing deaths attributable to the consumption of these foods and modeling how changes in dietary habits can support More effective food policies could prevent disease and premature death”.
At the origin of more than 10% of premature deaths
To do this, Dr. Nilson and colleagues modeled nationally representative dietary survey data to estimate industrially produced baseline intakes by sex and age group. Statistical analyzes were used to estimate the proportion of total deaths attributable to their consumption of processed foods and the impact of reducing their consumption of FPU by 10%, 20% and 50% within these age groups. .
Across all age and gender groups, consumption of ultra-processed foods ranged from 13% to 21% of total dietary intake in Brazil during the study period. A total of 541,260 adults aged 30-69 died prematurely in 2019, including 261,061 from preventable non-communicable diseases.
The model revealed that approximately 57,000 deaths that year could be attributed to the consumption of these processed products, which corresponded to 10.5% of all premature deaths and 21.8% of all deaths due to preventable non-communicable diseases in adults aged 30-69.
A result to be revised upwards for France
But this does not reflect our reality: researchers have suggested that in high-income countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia, where ultra-processed foods account for more than half of total caloric intake, the estimated impact would be even higher.
Other studies already carried out in Western countries also reveal that an increase of only 10% in ultra-processed products on a daily basis increases our risk of obesity by 26% and the risk of developing cancer by 10%.
A fortunately reversible health situation
The announcement is sad and adds to the long list of grievances against these products. However, it also allows us to glimpse solutions. Indeed, according to this same study, a 10% to 50% reduction in the consumption of industrial foods could potentially prevent approximately 5,900 to 29,300 premature deaths in Brazil each year. And returning to a diet like only 10 years ago (with fewer packaged and processed products) would reduce associated premature deaths by 21%.
NO to diets, YES to WW!
What exactly do we mean by ultra-processed products?
These typically include prepackaged soups, sauces, frozen pizzas, ready meals, hot dogs, sausages, sodas, ice cream, and store-bought cookies, cakes, candies, and donuts. . which are therefore to be reduced from your shopping cart.
To reduce its consumption, the study calls directly on the public authorities to invest in new fiscal and regulatory policies. “Having a tool to estimate deaths attributable to FPU consumption can help countries estimate the burden of dietary change related to industrial food processing and design more effective food policy options to promote healthier food environments. healthy” concluded Dr. Nilson.
A study which, despite the distance, still finds an echo in France: according to an Ifop survey carried out in 2019, 7 out of 10 French people admit to being poorly informed about ultra-processed foods and their harmful effects on health.