People who eat a lot of UPFs are 10 per cent more likely to die early, study suggests

People who eat large amounts of ultra processed foods (UPFs), such as processed meat and soft drinks, are considerably more likely to die than those who eat smaller amounts, a new study has suggested.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute in the US found that older adults – aged between 50 and 71 – who consumed higher amounts of UPFs were about 10 per cent more likely to die over an average follow-up period of 23 years compared with those who consumed less processed food.

High UPF consumption – defined as the top 10 per cent of the population and compared with the bottom tenth – “was associated with modest increases in death from any cause and from deaths related specifically to heart disease or diabetes” but no association was found for cancer-related deaths, researchers said.

The research drew data from more than 540,000 people who provided information about their eating habits and health in the mid-1990s, when they were between 50 and 71 years of age. More than half of the participants have since died.

“Our study results indicate that ultra-processed food intake adversely impacts health and longevity,” said Erikka Loftfield, of the National Cancer Institute.

“Highly processed meat and soft drinks were a couple of the subgroups of ultra-processed food most strongly associated with mortality risk,” she said.

She and other experts recommend limiting sugar-sweetened beverages and processed meats such as hot dogs, sausages and deli meat.

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“However, there is still a lot that we don’t know, including what aspects of ultra-processed foods pose potential health risks,” Dr Loftfield said.

The study was ‘observational’ meaning that it did not definitively prove UPFs caused early deaths and allowing for the possibility that there may be another reason for the link although the data showed an increased likelihood.

However, the researchers did account for some other factors that can increase a person’s risk of death, such as smoking and obesity.

They found that people who consumed more ultra-processed foods also tended to have higher body mass index and a lower Healthy Eating Index score (a measure of diet quality based on how closely a person’s diet aligns with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans).

Professor Rosie Green, of London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), who was not involved in the research, said: “This study adds to the evidence on relationships between UPFs and health by following up a very large cohort over more than 20 years after measuring their diets.

“The authors have accounted for many potential confounders of the relationship, including the general healthiness of diets, which has not always been adjusted for in other studies. They found that UPFs are associated with a slight increased risk of death. However, the diets of the participants were measured 30 years ago and so it’s difficult to say how dietary habits might have changed between then and now.”

The study results will present the findings at NUTRITION 2024, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition held June 29–July 2 in Chicago.