Even a small increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of developing several diseases,

and for each additional daily serving, the risk of dying prematurely may increase by 2%.

Are there any babies we'd be throwing out with the bathwater if we avoided ultra-processed foods?

Are there any that haven't been associated with disease?

It's such a big category.

What we need are studies that break it down.

And here we go.

The Framingham Offspring Study,

higher consumption of ultra-processed foods,

is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease,

but was it because of the burgers or the bagels?

The link between ultra-processed foods and disease

was largely driven by the ultra-processed meat, the sausage, bologna, salami, hot dogs, and

burgers. Breakfast cereals, nearly all of which are ultra-processed, was associated with lower

risk, presumably because cereal-eaters were eating less bacon and eggs. In another U.S. study,

this one 30 times larger, researchers came to the same conclusion.

The more ultra-processed, the more cardiovascular disease, but which ultra-processed foods?

Soft drinks, both regular and diet, and meat.

Specifically burgers, fried chicken, fried fish, and meat pizza, salty snacks like corn chips and potato chips, and candy.

Ultra-process food consumption and high blood pressure, driven mostly by soda and meat.

If we excluded soda and meat, would there still be an association between ultra-processed foods

and cardiovascular disease?

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