Study: Diet high in highly processed foods leads to earlier death

MONDAY, July 1, 2024 (HealthDay News) — People who eat more highly processed foods are more likely to die early, especially from heart disease or diabetes, a new study warns.

Older adults who consume higher amounts of highly processed foods are about 10% more likely to die over an average of 23 years of observation than those who consume less processed foods.

In particular, soft drinks and highly processed meat products such as hot dogs, sausages and cold cuts are “most strongly associated with the risk of death,” said researcher Erikka Loftfield of the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

“Diets low in these foods are already recommended for disease prevention and health promotion,” Loftfield added in an NCI press release.

Highly processed foods are mostly made from substances derived from whole foods, such as saturated fats, starches and added sugars.

These products also contain numerous additives, including colors, emulsifiers, flavors and stabilizers, which make them tastier, more attractive and longer lasting.

Examples include packaged baked goods, sugary cereals, ready-to-eat or heat-up convenience foods and delicatessen meat.

For this study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 540,000 people between the ages of 50 and 71 on their eating habits and health status. The data was collected in the mid-1990s; more than half of the participants have since died.

Even after accounting for other health risk factors, researchers found that people who consumed the highest amounts of highly processed foods were more likely to die prematurely than people who ate the least.

In particular, the risk of death from heart disease or diabetes increases with highly processed foods, but not the risk of death from cancer.

“The results of our study support a larger body of scientific work, including observational and experimental studies, indicating that consumption of ultra-processed foods has negative effects on health and life expectancy,” Loftfield said.

“However, there is still much we do not know, including which aspects of ultra-processed foods pose potential health risks,” Loftfield added.

The researchers presented the results at the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition in Chicago. Such research should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

Harvard Medical School provides more detailed information about highly processed foods.

SOURCE: American Society for Nutrition, press release, June 30, 2024