Many of the foods we eat a lot during Christmas are ultra-processed such as sausages, Christmas must and sweets. Even if it is a limited time, it can be good to think about, says Emily Sonestedt, docent at Lund University. Ultra-processed food has previously been linked to an increased risk of, among other things, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Now researchers from Lund University have taken a closer look at which type of ultra-processed food primarily increases the risk of premature death. Soft drinks and meat The study singles out two types of food as particularly central – ultra-processed meat and soft drinks. The risk was particularly evident in women. Not all ultra-processed foods are unhealthy, but many contain a lot of salt, sugar and fat and little nutrients – like soft drinks, says Emily Sonestedt, who was one of the researchers responsible for the study. The study, published in the journal Clinical Nutrition, is based on self-reported data on diet from 27,670 participants in Skåne. The participants have also had to give in-depth answers during interviews about how they prepare their food and what they eat. The key findings from the study show an association that high intake of ultra-processed food is linked to an increased risk of premature death, death from cardiovascular disease and death from respiratory disease. The more the participants ate, the higher the risk. Activity protects This even after the researchers took into account other factors that affect mortality such as alcohol intake and living alone. In contrast, the relationship was weaker among those who had a higher degree of physical activity. The researchers also saw no association between high intake of ultra-processed foods and cancer mortality. Although the connection appeared to be extra strong among women, the coast is not clear for men to drink a lot of soft drinks. No, just sugar-sweetened soft drinks are associated with many negative health outcomes even among men, says Emily Sonestedt
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