Ultra-processed foods have been associated with an increased risk of numerous diseases such as cardio- and cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, and some types of cancer. But what emerges from a study just published on British Medical Journal by researchers at the Chan School of Public Health in Boston, Harvard University and other universities, it is something more: the regular consumption of large quantities of this type of product (especially if belonging to certain types) increases the general risk of death.
The study on ultra-processed foods
To verify the effect of the habit of eating industrial foods on lifespan, the researchers used data from two large population studies: the so-called “nurses” one, which involved just under 75,000 nurses from 11 American states , followed between 1984 and 2018, all in good health at the time of recruitment, and that of male healthcare professionals, which involved around 40,000 doctors and nurses from 50 states, between 1986 and 2018, also without significant pathologies at the beginning of the investigation.
In both cases, every four years the participants were invited to answer a detailed questionnaire regarding their eating habits, and every two years they were carefully evaluated for health conditions. In the respective 34 and 31 years of follow up, approximately 30,100 deaths occurred among women, and 18,000 among men.
Diet and mortality
Comparing diet and mortality, the researchers showed that those in the highest quartile (seven servings per day) of ultra-processed consumption also had a 4% higher risk of death from any cause than those in the highest quartile. low (three servings a day). Furthermore, it had a 9% increased risk of dying from conditions other than cancer or cardiovascular disease, and 8% from neurodegenerative diseases.
Translated into figures, large consumers of ultra-processed products had a mortality rate of 1,536 people per 100,000 per year, while the others stopped at 1,472 per 100,000.
However, no specific association with deaths from cancer, cardiovascular or respiratory diseases emerged.
Not all foods, however, seem to have the same effect: ready meals based on beef, chicken or fish were found to be the worst in terms of risk of death, followed by sugary drinks, desserts with derivatives of milk and ultra-processed breakfast products. Furthermore, when the diet as a whole was evaluated, the link appeared less strong, demonstrating the fact that overall nutrition has a decisive importance for health.
Considerations on the results
Then there is another consequence of the results, which confirms the need for further investigation, and which has been the subject of debate in the scientific community for months. The point is: is the definition of ultra-processed correct? Is it adequate? According to some, although not perfect, it represents the best classification available today. According to others, however, it is time to find another one, because today the name “ultra-processed” includes too many foods, not all of which are negative. That is, there is a risk of both penalizing products that are not particularly dangerous, and not intervening on those that are, to avoid also affecting processed but balanced foods. And the difference in effect based on the type of product seen in this study seems to justify this second idea, even if – the authors underline – it is necessary to conduct specific, and not observational, studies like this one.
The debate on ultra-trials
Furthermore, in the editorial commentary, signed by Kathryn Bradbury, of the School of Population Health at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, it is underlined how demonizing only ultra-processed foods could make people believe that any unprocessed food is healthy, which is not is not true at all (think, for example, of too high a consumption of red meat).
Finally, as the discussion continues, according to Bradbury, decisions such as introducing specific taxes such as the sugar tax, warnings about unhealthy foods and bans on advertising (especially aimed at children) should not be hindered or delayed in any way. with the aim of discouraging the habit of eating foods that should in any case be consumed in much smaller quantities than is the case today.
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