By Sean Zucker –
For better or worse, processed foods are a mainstay in standard American diets. But while organic options are generally healthier, not all processed foods are terrible. Many fruits and vegetables fall under this category simply due to the methods used to help them stay fresh longer. However, what’s known as ultra-processed foods are a different story entirely. These are health killers, literally. A new study just identified the most dangerous ultra-processed foods and learned why many of them can take years off their lives.
Standard processed foods are often produced using techniques such as pasteurization, canning, fermentation, freezing or drying, most of which are largely harmless. However, ultra-processed foods are produced using large-scale industrial methods and unfamiliar ingredients not typically used in home cooking. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that the best way to determine if a product is ultra-processed is to check the list of ingredients for substances rarely used in kitchens or classes of additives whose primary function is solely to make the final product more appealing with no nutritional purpose.
Perhaps not surprisingly, the international group adds that more than 50 percent of Americans’ daily energy intake comes from ultra-processed foods. It’s a similar ratio for other high-income countries like Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
The situation isn’t just bad, it’s growing. Worldwide sales of ultra-processed products in middle-class counties are rising roughly ten percent each year, FAO reports.
“There has been great interest from both the public and scientific community in understanding the health impact of ultra-processed foods, which now account for more than 60 percent of daily calories in Americans,” reported Mingyang Song, associate professor at Harvard University.
Song recently led a study examining how consuming ultra-processed foods impacts life expectancy and found those relying on these foods faced a significantly increased risk of death compared to others.
Nearly 75,000 women and 40,000 men with no history of cancer, cardiovascular disease or diabetes participated in the extended research. All were healthcare professionals. Between 1986 and 2018, these volunteers completed detailed surveys on their food consumption and overall health at four-year intervals.
On average, those who ate the least ultra-processed food still consumed about three servings each day while the highest averaged seven servings daily. Ultimately, the group that consumed the most had a 4 percent higher risk of death by any cause including almost a 10 percent uptick in risk of neurodegenerative deaths.
Admittedly, reports that ultra-processed foods harm human health are far from breaking news. Experts have long warned against the mass consumption of these products. However, Song’s research discovered the versions most fatal to the human body.
The data specifically pointed toward processed meats and sugary drinks as products as the most dangerous. The news wasn’t all that bad, however. Many common ultra-processed grain-filled breakfast items were still found to be somewhat healthy or at least passable in most diets.
“Cereals and whole grain bread, for example, are also considered ultra-processed food, but they contain various beneficial nutrients like fiber, vitamins and minerals,” Song added. “On the other hand, I do think people should try to avoid or limit the consumption of certain ultra-processed foods, such as processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages and also potentially artificially sweetened beverages.”
Song was also quick to note that the research isn’t meant to discourage people from consuming any processed foods at all. Balance is the key. “If people maintain a generally healthy diet, I don’t think they need to be scared,” he said.
