A new study has found that there is evidence to support the proposal that ultra-processed foods contribute to a greater risk of developing heart disease, and bowel cancer, and even lead to early death.
Two large research studies published by The BMJ last week found links between high consumption of ultra-processed foods and increased risks of cardiovascular disease, bowel cancer, and death.
The Threat of Ultra-Processed Foods
The results of the studies provide more evidence in favor of policies that limit ultra-processed foods and instead advocate eating unprocessed or minimally-processed foods to improve global public health.
The findings also underscore the opportunity to reformulate dietary guidelines worldwide by paying greater attention to the degree of processing of foods along with nutrient-based recommendations.
Ultra-processed foods include things such as packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals, and ready-to-eat or heat products. These types of food typically contain high levels of added sugar, fat, and/or salt, but lack vitamins and fiber, as per SciTechDaily.
While previous studies have also linked ultra-processed foods to higher risks of obesity, cholesterol, high blood pressure, and some cancers, there have been few studies that assessed the association between ultra-processed food intake and colorectal cancer risk. The results are also mixed due to limitations in study design and sample sizes.
In the first of the two new studies, researchers investigated the association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and the risk of colorectal cancer in adults in the United States. The team's findings are based on 46,341 men and 159,907 women from three large studies of U.S. health professionals.
According to the New Strait Times, the researchers also found that people "on the ultra-processed diet ate at a faster rate, and ate an additional 500 calories more per day than people who were eating unprocessed foods."
Risk of Colorectal Cancer
The researchers also said, "There is clearly something about ultra-processed foods that makes people eat more of them without necessarily wanting to or realizing." This means that the foods were somewhat addictive to the consumers.
However, the report also conceded that "some ultra-processed foods are healthy, such as whole-grain foods that contain little or no added sugars, and yogurt and dairy foods." Other types of allegedly unhealthy foods include sauces, frozen pizza, hot dogs, sausages, french fries, doughnuts, and ice cream.
The Paulette Goddard professor emerita of nutrition, food studies, and public health at New York University, Marion Nestle, said, "Literally hundreds of studies link ultra-processed foods to obesity, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and overall mortality."
The author of numerous books on food politics and marketing, including 2015's "Soda Politics: Taking on Big Soda (and winning)," said that the two recent studies continue the consistency of findings. This is because ultra-processed foods are unambiguously associated with an increased risk for chronic disease.
Fang Fang Zhang, a co-senior author of the study and a cancer epidemiologist, said that the researchers found that men in the highest quintile of ultra-processed food consumption had a 29% high risk of developing colorectal cancer compared to those in the lowest quintile, CNN reported.
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