Mixed
High consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is a primary driver of the global nutrition transition, leading to increased risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease due to their role as vectors for excessive intake of added sugars, sodium, and trans-fats.
Reduce intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) by focusing on whole or minimally processed foods. UPFs are characterized by industrial formulations with cosmetic additives, high sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats. Prioritize foods that do not require extensive industrial processing to improve long-term metabolic health and reduce disease risk.
Comprehensive empirical studies now also implicate increasing processed and UPF consumption as a central feature of the nutrition transition... Ecological studies and systematic reviews find that regular consumption of certain types of UPFs associates with adverse outcomes, including sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) with obesity and type 2 diabetes... and processed meat with colorectal cancer.
Why this rating
Based on a synthesis review of multiple ecological studies, systematic reviews, and cohort studies, though the paper itself is a review rather than primary RCT data.
Source
Ultra‐processed foods and the nutrition transition: Global, regional and national trends, food systems transformations and political economy drivers
Phillip Baker et al. · Obesity Reviews · 2020
DOI 10.1111/obr.13126
More from this paper
- Ultra-processed foods act as significant vectors for 'risk ingredients' (added sugars, sodium, trans-fats, and cosmetic additives), contributing disproportionately to the intake of these harmful components compared to unprocessed foods.Good
- The global expansion of ultra-processed food markets is driven by political economy factors, including trade liberalization, the activities of transnational food and beverage corporations (TFBCs), and inadequate regulatory policies, rather than solely by consumer demand.Moderate
Related findings · Mixed
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