Don’t Trust The Process(ed): The Growing Evidence Against Eating Ultra-Processed Foods

The news keeps getting worse. While we’ve known for a while that eating ultra-processed foods (UPFs)- those convenient, often irresistible snacks, treats and ready-to-serve meals- have little nutritional value (and are often filled with sugars, salt, and other potentially harmful ingredients), the evidence keeps mounting that consumption of UPFs is associated with increasing your risk for such health concerns as prostate cancer, muscle loss, cognitive impairment and chronic illnesses. You may not be able to easily resist the siren call of a store-bought cookie, but understanding its impact on your health may change your mind.

Let’s look at several recent studies that report the mounting evidence. First, consider muscle loss. We know from prior agebuzz posts that loss of muscle mass and sarcopenia are major concerns for older adults, as they may impede you from remaining functionally independent, among other concerns. In a new study published in Age and Ageing, looking at the diet of over 1,000 older adults, those who consumed the most UPFs were much more likely to have sarcopenia than those who ate the fewest UPFs. While this was just an association and not proof of causation, researchers have many hypotheses as to why this association was found. The more UPFs you consume, the fewer important nutrients such as protein, fiber, and necessary vitamins and minerals are in your diet. Moreover, there is an association between UPFs and chronic inflammation in your body, which also affects your ability to build and repair muscle. Losing muscle mass is somewhat inevitable as you get older, but UPFs seem to exacerbate the process.

Another new study focused on the association between UPFs and prostate cancer. This study, published in The American Journal of Medicine, reports that those men who consumed higher amounts of UPFs had significantly higher risks for the subsequent development of prostate cancer. The risk for prostate cancer jumped as much as 34% among those men who were the greatest consumers of UPFs. Given that in the US, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men and, other than lung cancer, the most deadly form of cancer in men, paying attention to this association between UPFs and prostate cancer is an important finding. It’s estimated that over 300,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2026. While more research is necessary to understand this association and its implications, this may be one more warning shot as to why you need to rethink your current diet.  

And the worrisome news continues. There are increasing signs that UPFs may be harmful to aging brains. According to a new paper published in the Annual Review of Nutrition, while further research is needed to better understand the precise relationship between UPFs and brain aging, it does appear that those who consume large amounts of UPFs may be affecting the process of brain aging, and thereby raising their risk for cognitive decline and dementia. As one review of this study made clear, evidence of the connection between UPFs and brain aging is becoming difficult to ignore. Whether due to inflammation, the rise in obesity and diabetes likely connected to consumption of UPFs or the impact on the gut-brain connection, there are increasing signs that what you eat may also be influencing how your brain ages. Another recent study from the American Public Health Association also underscores the association between UPFs and an increased risk for cognitive impairment and/or dementia.

Finally, a large new study published in Family Medicine and Community Health reports on the increasing observational evidence connecting UPFs with such chronic illnesses as cancer, heart disease, and even premature death. According to this new study, for every additional consumption of 100 mg of a UPF (which might be a large store-bought cookie, 2 hot dogs, or many potato chips), your risk for such serious health concerns as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and cancer is elevated. The many industrially processed ingredients in UPFs may cause what scientists call the “cocktail effect,” which means not only is each additive to the UPF potentially harmful, but in combination, multiple additives found in UPFs may be interacting with each other to exacerbate and raise your risk for many chronic diseases. Of particular focus to many researchers are the effects of multiple preservatives, emulsifiers, and other additives on your gut bacteria and their promotion of chronic inflammation. So swap out that bag of chips for a banana, and read more here.

While no one expects you to make a complete clean break from UPFs (after all, they are estimated to make up a significant, if not the majority of the American diet), there are ways you can start making healthier swaps to limit your consumption of UPFs, including such strategies as cooking (and baking) more at home, so you won’t deprive yourself of tasty food but can be in better control of the ingredients. Aim for a more plant-focused diet, and buy whatever is abundant and available at a local farmer’s market if possible (or buy canned or frozen veggies and fruits, which still contain healthy nutrients with few additives). But if you think you can avoid these problems by ingesting “health foods” with such additives as “protein” or low calories, think again. According to a recent article in The Atlantic, these “healthy” UPFs contain many of the same potentially harmful additives, emulsifiers, and sugar substitutes that may negatively affect your metabolism and gut. So before you down your next David’s Bar, get better informed by reading here.