• Ultra-processed foods are industrially manufactured and contain salt, sugar, fats, as well as various additives.
• High consumption of these foods has been associated with the risk of several diseases and all-cause mortality.
• According to a new study, every 10 percent increase in ultra-processed foods in the diet is associated with a 3 percent rise in the risk of dying before the age of 75.

Several studies have linked the consumption of ultra-processed foods to an increased risk of numerous conditions such as cardiovascular disease and cancer, as well as all-cause mortality. Now, new research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine has investigated this association by estimating the risk of all-cause mortality from the consumption of ultra-processed foods and calculating it at an epidemiological level, across the populations of eight countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Chile and Mexico.

Ultra-processed foods: how consumption increases the risk of premature death

According to the results of the meta-analysis, the authors found a linear dose-response association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and all-cause mortality. In particular, it was observed that every 10 percent increase in ultra-processed food consumption in the diet raises by 3 percent the risk of dying before reaching the age of 75.

Furthermore, estimates of premature deaths associated with ultra-processed food consumption range from 4 percent in countries with low consumption to nearly 14 percent in countries with higher consumption. Specifically, figures of 4 percent, 5 percent and 6 percent were estimated for Colombia, Brazil and Chile respectively, 10.9 percent for Canada, 13.7 percent for the United States and 13.8 percent for England.

From ingredients to processing: why ultra-processed foods are harmful to health

"Ultra-processed foods affect health beyond the individual impact of high levels of critical nutrients such as sodium, trans fats and sugar, due to the modifications of food during industrial processing and the use of artificial ingredients, such as colourings, flavourings, sweeteners, emulsifiers and many other additives and processing aids," said Eduardo Augusto Fernandes Nilson, a researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Rio de Janeiro and one of the study's authors. "Therefore, the assessment of all-cause deaths associated with ultra-processed food consumption allows for an overall estimate of the effect of industrial food processing on health."

Among the study's authors is Carlos Augusto Monteiro, the researcher who coined the term "ultra-processed" in 2009 when he developed NOVA, a food classification system dividing foods into four groups based on their level of processing. According to Monteiro's definition, ultra-processed foods, belonging to the fourth group, are products made with "chemically manipulated cheap ingredients" and often containing "synthetic additives to make them edible, palatable and habit-forming".

In conclusion, the authors of the analysis highlight how the consumption of ultra-processed foods contributes significantly to the overall burden of disease in many countries and how its reduction should be included in the recommendations of national dietary guidelines and addressed in public policies, for example through stricter regulation of food marketing and the sale of food in schools and workplaces, as well as through the introduction of taxes on ultra-processed foods to reduce their purchase.