Eating our way to an early grave
A large study suggests there might be a striking reason to limit your intake of ultra-processed foods — early death.
The study of 115,000 people found that those who ate large amounts of ultra-processed foods, especially processed meats, sugary breakfast foods, and sugar and artificially sweetened beverages, were more likely to die prematurely. The research, published Wednesday in the journal BMJ, adds to a growing body of evidence that has linked ultra-processed foods to a higher rate of health problems.
Scientists say what these foods have in common is that they’re typically formulations of industrial ingredients that are designed by manufacturers to achieve a certain “bliss point,” which causes us to crave and over-eat them.
Some of the key findings:
■ MORTALITY RISK: When the researchers looked at intake of ultra-processed foods, they found that participants who consumed the most — averaging seven servings of these foods per day or more — had a slightly higher risk of dying early compared with people who consumed the least ultra-processed foods.
■ BRAIN HEALTH: The study found that people who ate the most ultra-processed foods had an 8% higher likelihood of dying from neurodegenerative diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
■ INCREASED RISK WITH CERTAIN FOODS: The researchers found that there were certain ultra-processed foods that were particularly associated with harm.
These included processed meats, white bread, sugary cereals and other highly processed breakfast foods, potato chips, sugary snacks and sugary beverages, and artificially sweetened drinks, such as diet soda.