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Researchers call for policies to limit the consumption of ultra-processed foods
Adrian O & # 39; Dowd
Thursday, May 30, 2019
New warnings were made in two major European studies published today by The bmj this has made possible connections between the consumption of highly processed (ultra-processed) foods and the risk of cardiovascular disease and death.
Researchers have called for more work to better understand these effects, and a direct (causal) link remains to be established, but they have recommended policies encouraging the consumption of fresh or poorly processed foods rather than foods. highly processed.
Ultra-processed foods include baked goods and packaged snacks, soft drinks, sugary cereals, prepared foods containing food additives, dehydrated vegetable soups and reconstituted meat and fish products.
These often contain high levels of added sugar, fat and / or salt, but lack vitamins and fiber. It is thought that they represent about 25 to 60% of the daily energy intake in many countries.
Previous studies had badociated ultra-processed foods with higher risks of obesity, hypertension, high cholesterol and some cancers, but evidence is still scarce.
Therefore, in the first study *, researchers based in France and Brazil badessed the potential badociations between ultra-processed foods and the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease.
Their findings are based on 105,159 French adults (21% male, 79% female), aged 43 on average, who completed an average of six 24-hour dietary questionnaires to measure the usual intake of 3,300 different foods under the NutriNet-Health Study program.
Foods were grouped according to degree of transformation and disease rates were measured over a maximum follow-up of 10 years between 2009 and 2018.
The results showed that an absolute 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet was badociated with significantly higher rates of global cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease – a increase of 12%, 13% and 11%. respectively.
In contrast, researchers found a significant badociation between unprocessed or unprocessed foods and the risk reduction of all reported diseases.
In the second study **, researchers based in Spain evaluated the possible badociations between ultra-processed food consumption and the risk of death, whatever the cause.
Their findings are based on 19,899 Spanish university graduates (7,786 men and 12,113 women), aged 38 on average, who completed a food questionnaire of 136 questions as part of the Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra (SUN) study.
Foods were grouped according to degree of transformation and deaths were measured over an average of 10 years.
The results showed that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods (more than four servings per day) was badociated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality of 62% compared with lower consumption ( less than two servings a day).
For each additional daily portion of ultra-processed foods, the risk of mortality has increased by about 18%.
Since both studies are observational, causality can not be established and some of the observed risks may be due to unmeasured confounders.
Nevertheless, both studies took into account well-known lifestyle risk factors and food quality indicators, and the results corroborate other research badociating highly processed foods with poor health.
Both research teams said that policies limiting the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet and encouraging the consumption of unprocessed or unprocessed foods were needed to improve global public health.
* Srour B, Fezeu, K., Kesse-Guyot, E. et al. Ultra-treated food intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: prospective cohort study (NutriNet-Santé). BMJ 2019; 365: l1451. DOI: 10.1136 / bmj.l1451
** Rico-Campa A, Martinez-Gonzalez MA, Alvarez-Alvarez I, et al. Association between ultra-processed food consumption and all-cause mortality: prospective SUN cohort study. BMJ 2019; 365: l1949. DOI: 10.1136 / bmj.l1949
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