More and more studies are warning of the negative consequences of consuming “ultra-processed” foods for health. An ultra-processed food has been heavily modified by physical, chemical or biological industrial treatments or contains ingredients that are not found in our kitchens such as sweeteners, emulsifiers, texturizers, flavor enhancers… They are added to improve their flavor, taste, appearance and to better preserve them.
A study published in 2024, led by Dr. Mingyang Song of the Harvard School of Public Health, analyzed data from more than 100,000 healthcare professionals in the United States. These participants, free of cancer or cardiovascular disease, provided information on their health every two years between 1986 and 2018 (more than 30 years). The study found that high consumption of ultraprocessed foods was linked to a 4% increased risk of all-cause mortality, including a 9% increased risk of death from neurodegenerative diseases.
Beneficial nutrients in certain ultra-processed foods
However, not all ultra-processed foods pose the same level of risk, according to researchers. Dr. Song explains that this positive association is mainly due to specific subgroups. According to him, there is therefore no need to completely reject ultra-processed foods, because some, such as cereals and whole-wheat bread, contain beneficial nutrients such as fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Based on their observations, ready-to-eat meat/poultry/seafood products had the strongest associations with mortality risk. Among these foods, products such as blue cords, sticks and nuggets made from poultry, fish (surimis), or reconstituted meat. This was followed by sugary and artificially sweetened beverages, dairy-based desserts, and ultra-processed breakfast foods (cereals) also associated with higher all-cause mortality.
Researchers emphasize that the overall quality of a person’s diet is the most important factor in reducing mortality risks. A healthy diet should be varied, including plenty of colorful fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains. To avoid ultra-processed foods, you should avoid foods that contain excess packaging and/or attractive, colorful packaging with children’s characters, which have a long and difficult to understand list of ingredients and a quantity of sugar approximating the quantity of carbohydrates (which means that it is added sugars more than sugar naturally present in the food).