Really, How Bad Are Ultraprocessed Foods?
They are undoubtedly connected to ill health. However, scientists are still learning the reasons behind this.
Brazilian nutritional epidemiologist Carlos Monteiro saw a concerning trend in the mid-1990s: childhood obesity rates were sharply growing in his nation.
He and his colleagues at the University of São Paulo examined data on Brazilian households’ food purchasing habits to determine if they had altered recently in order to comprehend why. Researchers discovered that consumers were buying more processed goods including sodas, sausages, instant noodles, packaged breads, and cookies and less sugar, salt, cooking oils, and staple foods like grains and beans.
Since then, researchers have discovered links between UPFs and a variety of illnesses, such as depression, heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, gastrointestinal disorders, and obesity, in addition to an earlier mortality.
However, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. Exactly what are ultraprocessed foods? What is the strength of the evidence for their adverse effects? We posed these and other queries to specialists.
Ultraprocessed foods: what are they?
Foods are categorized into four groups by the Nova system:
- foods such as fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, beans, lentils, meat, chicken, fish, eggs, milk, plain yogurt, rice, pasta, maize meal, flour, coffee, tea, and herbs and spices that are either unprocessed or only slightly processed.
- processed items used in cooking, including butter, vinegar, sugar, honey, and cooking oils.
- processed foods created by mixing elements from Category 2 with those from Category 1 and preserving or altering them using comparatively easy techniques including baking, fermentation, canning, and bottling. This category include fish, beans, and vegetables in cans, most cheeses, and freshly baked bread. Preservatives that lengthen shelf life might be present in some foods.
- foods that have been ultraprocessed by the use of industrial techniques and non-grocery store products such as hydrogenated oils, concentrated proteins like soy isolate, and high-fructose corn syrup. They frequently have flavorings, colorings, or emulsifiers added to them to give them a more appealing and edible appearance. Consider energy drinks and sodas, candy, chips, flavored yogurts, margarine, lunch meats, hot dogs, sausages, chicken nuggets, boxed macaroni and cheese, most packaged breads, plant milks, meat alternatives, and cereal for breakfast.
According to Virginia Tech nutrition professor Brenda Davy, “if you look at the ingredient list and you see things that you wouldn’t use in home cooking, then that’s probably an ultraprocessed food.”Notably, the Nova method does not group foods according to nutrients such as fat, fiber, vitamins, or minerals. Maya Vadiveloo, an associate professor of nutrition at the University of Rhode Island, described it as “agnostic to nutrition.”
The majority of studies that relate UPFs to bad health are observational in nature, meaning that participants’ diets are asked about and their health is monitored over an extended period of time. Scientists found that drinking UPFs was linked to 32 health problems in a comprehensive assessment of research published in 2024. The strongest evidence was found for heart disease-related fatalities, Type 2 diabetes, and common mental health conditions like worry and depression.
However, as noted by nutrition scientist and epidemiologist Lauren O’Connor, who previously held positions at the National Institutes of Health and the Department of Agriculture, the observational studies also have drawbacks. She acknowledged that there is a link between certain meals and chronic illnesses, but that doesn’t imply
According to Dr. O’Connor, clinical trials are required to determine whether UPFs directly cause health issues. There has only been one small-scale research of this kind, with certain limitations, she noted.
Twenty persons with a variety of body types spent four weeks living in a research hospital at the National Institutes of Health as part of the 2019 study. They mostly consumed food for two weeks.
Why could UPFs be detrimental?
Dr. Hall stated that there are “strong opinions” on the health risks associated with ultraprocessed meals. He went on, “But there’s actually not a lot of rigorous science” regarding the nature of those systems.
UPFs are definitely replacing healthier foods in our diets because they are frequently affordable, easily accessible, and convenient, according to Dr. Hall.
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On a drab backdrop, dried ramen noodles are piled on top of one another.
Give credit…For The New York Times, Casey Zhang
However, he and other scientists believe that the meals may be impacting health more directly. They are high in calories, simple to chew, and contain tempting mixtures of carbohydrates, sugars, fats, and salt, which may contribute to their tendency to be overindulged. Additionally, it’s likely that the ensuing surges in blood sugar may
In regards to ultraprocessed foods, what should we do?
Several nations, including Israel, Canada, and Mexico, have also made it clear that consuming too few or no UPFs, or “highly processed foods,” is advised. Such recommendations are not included in the U.S. dietary guidelines, but the 2025 standards may change as a result of an advisory committee’s investigation into the data about UPFs’ potential to influence weight gain.
“Food is food at the end of the day, and they are a significant source of it,” Dr. Mattei continued. She remarked, “We really can’t demonize them.”
Dr. Vadiveloo recommended a more measured approach that concentrated on reducing UPFs that don’t offer beneficial nutrients, like as soda and cookies. Increased consumption of fruits, vegetables, whole grains—whether processed or not—legumes, nuts, and seeds were other suggestions made by her.
Dr. Davy advised cooking as much as possible at home with minimally processed foods. “Right now, we’re not really able to say much more than that.”
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