What are the serious health risks of UPFs?
Numerous recent studies show a link between diets high in ultraprocessed foods and an increased risk of developing a range of serious conditions including heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, dementia and some cancers — particularly breast cancer.
There is also evidence that a diet high in UPFs can impact life expectancy after a Spanish study of nearly 20,000 people carried out in 2019 found that those who ate the most ultraprocessed foods (more than four servings a day) were 62 per cent likelier to have died ten years earlier than those who ate the least (less than two servings a day). The risk of dying early increased by 18 per cent for each additional serving of UPFs.
UPFs are very low in essential nutrients your body needs to function properly, while being high in saturated fats, sugar and salt, making them calorie-dense. This, plus a lack of filling fibre, makes them easy to overconsume, leading to weight gain and obesity, and an increased risk of developing high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Researchers also believe the chemical additives used and the food-preparation processes are damaging to our health. For example, additives such as nitrates widely used to turn pork into bacon or sausage can lead to an increased risk of cancer, according to research reviewed by the World Cancer Research Fund.
The additives in UPFs are also thought to have an adverse effect on the microbiome, a collection of trillions of microorganisms in your gut that play a key role in digestion, your immune system, weight maintenance, mental health and hormone regulation.
Large recent studies also link a diet high in UPFs with higher risk of type 2 diabetes and cancer — the French NutriNetSanté study found a ten per cent increase in UPF
consumption was linked to an equivalent increase in a woman’s chances of developing breast cancer.
UPFs have also been linked to an increased risk of dementia: one study published in 2022, involving 72,000 people, found a ten per cent increase in ultraprocessed food consumption raised the risk of all types of dementia by 25 per cent.
So it really is time to take back control of what we are putting into our bodies by breaking free from the UPFs that have crept into our diets.