Mixed
High frequency of ultra-processed food consumption is associated with a significantly higher risk of all-cause mortality in US adults, independent of demographic, socioeconomic, and health behavior factors.
If you eat ultra-processed foods (like sugary drinks, processed meats, sweetened cereals, and packaged snacks) frequently (e.g., more than 5 times a day), your risk of dying from any cause is about 30% higher compared to those who eat them less often. This risk holds true even if you try to balance your diet with other healthy foods. To protect your longevity, try to reduce the frequency of these highly processed items and focus on whole or minimally processed foods.
Over a median follow-up of 19 years, individuals in the highest quartile of frequency of ultra-processed food intake... had a 31 % higher risk of all-cause mortality, after adjusting for demographic and socio-economic confounders and health behaviours (adjusted hazard ratio = 1·31; 95 % CI 1·09, 1·58; P-trend = 0·001).
Why this rating
Prospective cohort with long follow-up (19 years) and large sample size, but relies on observational data with potential residual confounding and measurement error (FFQ).
Source
Ultra-processed food intake and mortality in the USA: results from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III, 1988–1994)
Hyunju Kim et al. · Public Health Nutrition · 2019
DOI 10.1017/s1368980018003890
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