Ultra-processed foods are more harmful than we suspected

Published 07.03.2024 | By Йосиф

Ultra-processed foods are more harmful than we suspected

Ultra-processed foods, such as breakfast cereals and sodas, have been linked to 32 harmful health effects, according to the largest study to date.

Globally, it is estimated that one in five deaths is due to poor nutrition, and the role of ultra-processed foods, or UPH, has attracted much attention in many studies in recent years.

UPFs were first defined about 15 years ago to allow researchers to study the effects of food processing on health. This new study analyzed many other recent studies involving almost 10 million people to pull together much of the available data and provide a comprehensive picture of how ultra-processed foods affect our health.

The results suggest that consuming large amounts of them is linked to poor health and early mortality from a number of diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and poor mental health.

A diet containing high proportions of UPH is undoubtedly harmful to health, and new research confirms links to a wide range of diseases. However, questions remain about the specific mechanisms by which these foods make us sick, writes ScienceAlert.

Over the years, researchers have hypothesized several mechanisms. Among these are poor nutritional quality, as some UPH can be high in fat, sugar and salt, low in fiber and deficient in essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Other mechanisms include a lack of structure and texture, which makes eating faster, raises blood sugar levels, and is less effective at reducing appetite. Much attention is also paid to food additives and other chemicals added to food or as contaminants from packaging or the environment.

An interesting aspect of the present work is the fact that the strength of the results varied between studies, and some of the correlations were weak. This is likely due in part to the wide range of foods contained in the UPH category.

The definition identifies foods that may contain additives and chemicals and are heavily processed using refined and reconstituted ingredients that consumers may not be familiar with. This covers foods as diverse as ice cream, snacks, wholemeal bread, processed meats and low-fat spreads. These very different foods, containing very different ingredients and nutrients, are likely to have very different effects on our health.

Another important factor to consider is that these studies are large population-level studies where thousands of people record their usual dietary intake and health status. The analysis takes into account various factors, such as age, gender and lifestyle, which can skew the data.

However, the results can only show the relationship between dietary intake and health status. They do not provide direct evidence for the mechanisms involved. We urgently need new research to understand how and why certain foods can cause ill health.

Although some direct research is possible, the long-term health consequences, for example, of consuming high levels of dietary supplements, could be difficult and ethically questionable. But there is an opportunity here to explore these effects in more detail using existing data. As more studies are published, the amount of data should certainly allow us to focus on the different forms of UPH to determine the best and worst.

Besides the huge amount of data in the review study, it would be interesting to extract some more precise data to help us determine which foods to avoid.

The UPH category contains a vast array of foods with equally diverse nutrient content. Commercial whole wheat bread is classified as UPH, as are ice cream, donuts, and fried snacks. Therefore, it is very likely that different ultra-processed foods have a wide range of health effects.

So mechanistic studies in which people eat specific foods or ingredients in a controlled manner, as well as more detailed statistical analysis of existing studies, should help us determine which UPHs to avoid, which are safe, and which may even be useful as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

One thing is for sure – these studies should help to draw up advice to limit the consumption of UPFs, which are clearly harmful to health. On the other hand, we should aim to identify which aspects of these foods are most dangerous so that food manufacturers can eliminate them rat from our diet, as this has been achieved with harmful ingredients such as trans fats and some artificial colors.

Many people rely heavily on commercially processed foods and we need to ensure that these foods are safe and nutritious in the future, especially for the poor and vulnerable.
Sabina Andreeva

https://fakti.bg/life/862291-ultraprerabotenite-hrani-sa-po-vredni-otkolkoto-sme-podozirali

Ultra-processed foods are more harmful than we suspected

Ultra-processed foods are more harmful than we suspected

Ultra-processed foods are more harmful than we suspected

Ultra-processed foods, such as breakfast cereals and sodas, have been linked to 32 harmful health effects, according to the largest study to date.

Globally, it is estimated that one in five deaths is due to poor nutrition, and the role of ultra-processed foods, or UPH, has attracted much attention in many studies in recent years.

The results suggest that consuming large amounts of them is linked to poor health and early mortality from a number of diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity and poor mental health.

A diet containing high proportions of UPH is undoubtedly harmful to health, and new research confirms links to a wide range of diseases. However, questions remain about the specific mechanisms by which these foods make us sick, writes ScienceAlert.

Over the years, researchers have hypothesized several mechanisms. Among these are poor nutritional quality, as some UPH can be high in fat, sugar and salt, low in fiber and deficient in essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

Other mechanisms include a lack of structure and texture, which makes eating faster, raises blood sugar levels, and is less effective at reducing appetite. Much attention is also paid to food additives and other chemicals added to food or as contaminants from packaging or the environment.

An interesting aspect of the present work is the fact that the strength of the results varied between studies, and some of the correlations were weak. This is likely due in part to the wide range of foods contained in the UPH category.

Another important factor to consider is that these studies are large population-level studies where thousands of people record their usual dietary intake and health status. The analysis takes into account various factors, such as age, gender and lifestyle, which can skew the data.

However, the results can only show the relationship between dietary intake and health status. They do not provide direct evidence for the mechanisms involved. We urgently need new research to understand how and why certain foods can cause ill health.

Besides the huge amount of data in the review study, it would be interesting to extract some more precise data to help us determine which foods to avoid.

The UPH category contains a vast array of foods with equally diverse nutrient content. Commercial whole wheat bread is classified as UPH, as are ice cream, donuts, and fried snacks. Therefore, it is very likely that different ultra-processed foods have a wide range of health effects.

So mechanistic studies in which people eat specific foods or ingredients in a controlled manner, as well as more detailed statistical analysis of existing studies, should help us determine which UPHs to avoid, which are safe, and which may even be useful as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Many people rely heavily on commercially processed foods and we need to ensure that these foods are safe and nutritious in the future, especially for the poor and vulnerable. Sabina Andreeva

https://fakti.bg/life/862291-ultraprerabotenite-hrani-sa-po-vredni-otkolkoto-sme-podozirali

Many people rely heavily on commercially processed foods and we need to ensure that these foods are safe and nutritious in the future, especially for the poor and vulnerable.
Sabina Andreeva