Researchers found highly suggestive evidence that eating more ultraprocessed foods raised the risk of obesity by 55%, sleep disorders by 41%, development of type 2 diabetes by 40% and the risk of depression by 20%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, evidence was limited for an association between consuming ultraprocessed food and asthma, gastrointestinal health and cardiometabolic risk factors such as high blood fats and low levels of \u201cgood\u201d high-density lipoprotein, or HDL, cholesterol, according to the analysis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition, the study found only suggestive or no evidence for an association between ultraprocessed foods and cancer. That\u2019s surprising, according to Zhang, who has researched the role of ultraprocessed foods and cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cObesity is a risk factor for 13 types of cancers. Ultraprocessed foods increase weight gain, and obesity increases cancer,\u201d she said. In an August 2022 study she coauthored, Zhang found men who ate the most ultraprocessed foods of any type had a 29% higher risk of developing colorectal cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One reason for the unexpected finding is that research on ultraprocessed foods is still in its infancy, said study coauthor Mathilde Touvier, research director at the French National Institute of Health and Medical Research, a public research organization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe definitely need more studies to be able to upgrade the weight of evidence for cancer, for instance,\u201d said Touvier, also the principal investigator of the NutriNet-Sant\u00e9 cohort, a long-term study of the relationship between nutrition and health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo it\u2019s not because there\u2019s nothing there, it\u2019s just because we need additional research,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The making of ultraprocessed foods<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultraprocessed foods are much more than simply \u201cmodified\u201d foods, said nutrition researcher Dr. Carlos Monteiro, head of the Centre for Epidemiological Studies in Health and Nutrition at the University of S\u00e3o Paulo in Brazil. He was not involved in the new research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey are formulations of often chemically manipulated cheap ingredients such as modified starches, sugars, oils, fats, and protein isolates, with little if any whole food added,\u201d said Monteiro, a professor of nutrition and public health, in an attached editorial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Monteiro coined the term ultraprocessed food in 2009 when he developed NOVA, a system of classifying foods into four categories. Group one consists of unprocessed or minimally processed foods such as fruits, vegetables, eggs and milk. Group two includes culinary ingredients such as salt, herbs, oils and the like. Group three are processed foods that combine groups one and two \u2014 canned goods and frozen vegetables are examples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Group four are ultraprocessed foods, which Monteiro said are made flavorful and enticing by using combinations of artificial flavors, colors, thickeners and other additives that have been \u201clinked by experimental and epidemiological evidence to imbalances in gut microbiota and systemic inflammation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNo reason exists to believe that humans can fully adapt to these products,\u201d Monteiro wrote in the editorial. \u201cThe body may react to them as useless or harmful, so its systems may become impaired or damaged, depending on their vulnerability and the amount of ultra-processed food consumed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since Monteiro\u2019s definition of ultraprocessed food appeared, nutritionists, researchers and public health officials have grown concerned about the increasing prevalence of such foods in the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, Canada and many developing nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \uff08More than 70% of the US food supply is ultraprocessed foods, according to research.\uff09<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cTwo-thirds of the calories children consume in the US are ultraprocessed, while about 60% of adult diets are ultraprocessed,\u201d Zhang said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI think it\u2019s like when we invented cars,\u201d she added. \u201cYes, they bring us convenience, but if we use a car for everything and we don\u2019t exercise we have problems. We need new strategies to bring down the consumption of ultraprocessed food to a healthier level.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n How to reduce the use of ultraprocessed foods<\/strong><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s an easy solution \u2014 buy real food and cook it at home. It\u2019s that simple, experts say. But experts also agree that in today\u2019s fast-paced world, giving up the convenience of ready-to-heat and ready-to-eat foods is difficult. In addition, it\u2019s nearly impossible to avoid temptation, as over 70% of the US food supply is made of ultraprocessed food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Regulation by public health agencies and governments should be considered, Monteiro said, such as front-of-pack warning labels; restriction of advertising, especially to children; and the prohibition of sales of ultraprocessed foods in or near schools and hospitals, all while making minimally processed foods more affordable and accessible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the meantime, Marx and Lane offered the following advice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1) Read and compare product labels and try to choose less processed alternatives. For example, swap flavored yogurt for plain yogurt with added fruit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2) What you include is just as important as what you exclude. Focus on what you can add to your diet such as fresh, frozen or tinned fruits, vegetables, beans and legumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3) Be mindful of beverages. Sugar-sweetened beverages have no nutritional value. Swap them out for water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4) When eating out, go to local restaurants and caf\u00e9s instead of fast-food chains. Local eateries are less likely to make ultraprocessed foods.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Eating ultraprocessed foods raises the risk of developing or dying from dozens of adverse health conditions, according to a new review of 45 meta-analyses on almost 10 million people. \u201cWe found consistent evidence linking higher intakes of ultra-processed foods with over 70% of the 45 different health outcomes we assessed,\u201d said senior author Wolfgang Marx, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":5040,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[61],"class_list":["post-5039","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-usa","tag-usa"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/tingchao.xyz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/48.png\")
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