Deadly Edibles? Some Common Foods in US Could Increase Mortality Risk by 10%, Study Reveals

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According to a new study, diets that involve a high intake of ultra-processed foods could shoot mortality risk up by 10%.

These findings serve as an added support to the harms and dangers brought about by these deadly edibles.

Higher Death Risk Due To Ultra-Processed Foods

The new study involved a 30-year period of monitoring of over 500,000 adults in the US. This enabled the researchers to discover that individuals with the highest UPF consumption had a 10% higher death risk across the period of study.

This was in comparison to individuals with the lowest intake of UPFs.

They also observed that a higher BMI (body mass index) was more prevalent among individuals with higher UPF intake and that such individuals were more inclined to a generally unhealthy diet. However, even when such variables were considered, the link between mortality and UPF consumption still persisted.

Most notably, the foods were associated with a higher risk of deaths related to heart disease and diabetes. However, they were not linked to higher cancer-related mortality.

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Which Ultra-Processed Foods Are the Deadliest?

When asked about their consumption of 124 kinds of foods, participants in the top 90th percentile of UPF consumption shared that overly processed drinks were at the top of the list.

Erikka Loftfield, a National Cancer Institute investigator, said that diet soft drinks were among the key contributors to UPF consumption. Sugary soft drinks came in second.

Loftfield explained that beverages are crucial parts of the diet and may contribute to UPF consumption.

The study also found that refined grains, such as baked goods and ultra-processed breads, came next in terms of popularity.

Findings were presented during NUTRITION 2024, which is the American Society for Nutrition's flagship annual meeting.

UPFs and the NOVA Classification System

According to Carlos Monteiro, a nutrition and public health emeritus professor from the University of São Paulo, who was not involved in the study, there is another long-duration and large cohort study that confirms the link between all-cause mortality and UPF consumption.

Monteiro was the one who coined the "ultra-processed food" term. He also developed a system known as the NOVA food classification system, which examines the production and processing of food.

This system categorized foods from minimally processed ones, such as vegetables and fruits (whole foods), to processed foods, like sausage and meat, to ultra-processed foods.

UPFs have ingredients that are rarely or never used in kitchens. They may also have additive classes that work to increase the appeal or palatability of the food.

Such additives in deadly edibles and ultra-processed foods include emulsifiers to help incompatible ingredients stick to one another, preservatives for mold and bacteria resistance, artificial dyes and colorings, altered or added sugar, agents for anti-foaming or bulking, and fats or salt that are designed to make food appear more appetizing.