Ready meals linked to greater risk of dying

Ready-to-eat snack foods may be convenient but researchers have warned that they could also be deadly.

A French study has found a link between high intakes of ltraprocessed foods and higher death rates from cancer, diabetes and heart disease. The chances of someone dying in the next seven years increases the more sugary drinks, factory-made breads and biscuits, sweets and chocolate bars, mass-produced and packaged snacks, ready meals and processed meat in their diet, the study found.

The paper, published in the journal JAMA Internal Medicine, looked at the diets of 44,551 French men and women.

On average the highly processed foods made up 14 per cent of their diets by weight. For every 10 per cent increase their chances of dying during the period of investigation went up by 14 per cent. If an average study participant ate 2kg of food per day about 280g, or 14 per cent, would be ultra-processed, the equivalent of just over half a jar of pasta sauce. If 24 per cent of their diet was ultra-processed, that would be about 480g of food, roughly the whole jar, or the equivalent of 10 Mars bars.

The researchers, from Universite Paris 13, concluded: ‘‘Ultra-processed foods consumption has largely increased during the past several decades and may drive a growing burden of noncommunicable disease deaths.’’

Their findings were likely to reflect a combination of factors, they said, including high levels of added salt and sugar in the foods. A lack of fibre, which has recently been linked to longevity, may also play a role, they said, along with certain additives in the foods or chemicals contained in packaging.

The research is observational and cannot prove cause and effect, but Nita Forouhi, of the MRC Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, said: ‘‘The case against highly processed foods is mounting up, with this study adding importantly to a growing body of evidence on the health harms of ultra-processed foods.’’

Professor Forouhi said that more research was needed to explore the reasons for any link, but added: ‘‘We would ignore these findings at public health’s peril. A vital take-away message is that consumption of highly processed foods reflects social inequalities: they are consumed disproportionately more by individuals with lower incomes or education levels, or those living alone.’’ – The Times

The chances of someone dying in the next seven years increases the more sugary drinks, factory-made breads and biscuits, sweets and chocolate bars, mass-produced and packaged snacks, ready meals and processed meat in their diet, the study found.