The deadly toll of ultra-processed foods has been laid out in a global study showing junk food makes up more than half of people’s food energy consumption in some countries.
The report showed premature deaths attributable to UPFs increased significantly according to their share in a person’s diet.
Researchers called for global action to reduce junk food consumption, involving governments introducing stricter policies to create healthier diets. Addressing the impact of UPF should be a global nutrition priority, they said, as their consumption is growing in low and middle-income countries.
UPFs have been linked previously to 32 diseases, including to an increased risk of obesity, heart disease and cancer, as well as early death.
Examples of UPFs include ice cream, processed meats, crisps, mass-produced bread, some breakfast cereals, biscuits and fizzy drinks.
They are ready-to-eat-or-heat industrial formulations that are made with ingredients extracted from foods or synthesised in laboratories, with little or no wholefoods in their composition. These have gradually been replacing traditional foods and meals made from fresh and minimally processed ingredients.
Oswaldo Cruz Foundation
UPFs often contain high levels of saturated fat, salt, sugar and additives, which experts say leaves less room in people’s diets for more nutritious foods.
UPFs also tend to include additives and ingredients that are not used when people cook from scratch, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, artificial colours and flavouring.
However, some experts say it is not clear why UPFs are linked to poor health and question whether this is because of processing or because people are opting for foods high in fat, sugar and salt rather than more nutritious options.
In the new study, published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, researchers looked at data from eight countries – Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, the UK and US – and found UPFs reached 55 per cent of people’s energy intake in the US and 53 per cent in the UK, compared with 15 per cent in Colombia and 17.4 per cent in Brazil.
Premature deaths attributable to UPFs ranged from 4 per cent of in lower consumption settings, such as Colombia, to 14 per cent of all early deaths in the UK and US, according to their mathematical modelling.
The researchers suggested that in 2017-2018, up to 124,107 premature deaths in the US could have been linked to UPFs. Over similar timeframes, the UK’s figure stood at 17,781 and Mexico 17,110.
While previous studies focused on specific dietary risk factors instead of food patterns, the current study modelled data from nationally representative dietary surveys and mortality data to link dietary patterns, considering the extent and purpose of industrial food processing, to deaths from all causes.
Lead investigator of the study Eduardo Nilson, from the scientific body the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil, said: “UPFs affect health beyond the individual impact of high content of critical nutrients [sodium, trans fats and sugar] because of the changes in the foods during industrial processing and the use of artificial ingredients, including colourants, artificial flavours and sweeteners, emulsifiers, and many other additives and processing aids, so assessing deaths from all causes associated with UPF consumption allows an overall estimate of the effect of industrial food processing on health.”
Dr Nilson said the study found “each 10 per cent increase in the participation of UPFs in the diet increases the risk of death from all causes by 3 per cent”.
He said it was is concerning that, while in high-income countries UPF consumption has been high but relatively stable for more than a decade, in low and middle-income countries consumption has continuously increased, meaning that while the attributable burden in high-income countries is currently higher, it is growing in the other nations. "This shows that policies that disincentivise the consumption of UPFs are urgently needed globally, promoting traditional dietary patterns based on local fresh and minimally processed foods," he said.
Stephen Burgess, statistician in the MRC Biostatistics Unit at the University of Cambridge, said the study was observational and could not prove cause.
“This type of research cannot prove that consumption of ultra-processed foods is harmful but it does provide evidence linking consumption with poorer health outcomes,” he said.
“It is possible that the true causal risk factor is not ultra-processed foods, but a related risk factor such as better physical fitness – and ultra-processed foods is simply an innocent bystander.
“But when we see these associations replicated across many countries and cultures, it raises suspicion that ultra-processed foods may be more than a bystander.”
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“Join in with a group like Cycle Safe Dubai or TrainYAS, where you’ll meet like-minded people and always have support on hand.”
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Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sep 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
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Rooster:honest, confident, pompous
Dog:loyal, kind, perfectionist
Boar:loving, tolerant, indulgent
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Top 10 locations for inquiries from US house hunters, according to Rightmove
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england euro squad
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Uefa Champions League, last-16, second leg (first-leg scores in brackets):
PSG (2) v Manchester United (0)
Midnight (Thursday), BeIN Sports
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Director: Christopher McQuarrie
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Barcelona 4 (Messi 23' pen, 45 1', 48', Busquets 85')
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World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
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10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
Saudi National Day
KLOPP%20AT%20LIVERPOOL
ONCE UPON A TIME IN GAZA
Starring: Nader Abd Alhay, Majd Eid, Ramzi Maqdisi
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Sri Lanka Test squad:
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Key facilities
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FIXTURES
Monday, January 28
Iran v Japan, Hazza bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Tuesday, January 29
UAEv Qatar, Mohamed Bin Zayed Stadium (6pm)
Friday, February 1
Final, Zayed Sports City Stadium (6pm)
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