An overview of the research involving nearly 10 million people has found a direct link between consumption of too many ultra -processed products - bread, flakes, snacks and frozen dishes that were industrialized with flavors and additives to make them more enjoyable - and more than 30 health conditions , including heart disease.
- In recent years, dozens of studies have found that people who consume many ultra-treated products have a higher level of weight gain , obesity , cardiovascular disease , cancer , diabetes and other chronic diseases.
- Now a team of international researchers has conducted a comprehensive overview of evidence of adverse health effects to date-having studied 45 "Consumed Meta-Analysis" from 14 review articles, which have been attended by almost 10 million people. All of them have been published over the past three years, and none has been funded by companies that produce ultra-processing products.
- The findings of researchers published in the British Medical Journal of BMJ "show that diets with a high content of ultra -treated food can be harmful to many body systems."
- They found "convincing evidence" that the consumption of higher ultra-treated foods is associated with about 50% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease, by 48-53% increasing the risk of anxiety and general mental disorders and by 12% increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Very convincing data also indicate that diets with a high content of ultra-processed products are associated with increasing the risk of death for any reason by 21 percent, the risk of death associated with heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and sleep problems, 40-66 percent and 22%.
Ultra -treated foods, such as frozen dinners, sweet flakes, potato chips and fast food, make up to 58 percent of total daily energy consumption in the United States, researchers say.
Weak regulatory standards and industry authorities have even allowed ultra -processed products such as Lunchables to get into the school menu, reports The Washington Post.
In the United States, dietary recommendations may soon warn against ultra -treated products, as the Federal Government Committee on Recommendations examines the science of possible health risks, including obesity diseases.
Researchers say that only observation studies cannot prove that ultra -processed food causes health problems, and additional studies need to be conducted.
Claire Collins, a food expert at Newcastle University in Australia, noted that interventional research or clinical trials - during which potential medicines or action are tested in humans - in this case they will not work because it is unethical to feed people. Ultra -worked products "and wait for them to get sick and die."
An alternative may be replacing the ultra -treated food with healthy to see if the symptoms have improved.
"The amount of evidence in this review indicates that replacing pop-tot with a piece of whole grain toast will not hurt," said Helen Trubi , a researcher at the University of Queensland.
