Macro partitioning
High consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) displaces unprocessed and minimally processed foods, leading to a diet with significantly higher free sugars, saturated fats, and energy density, and lower protein, fiber, and potassium, thereby increasing the prevalence of nutrient inadequacy associated with non-communicable diseases (NCD).
To improve your diet quality and reduce NCD risk, prioritize unprocessed or minimally processed foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats) and limit ultra-processed foods (soft drinks, packaged snacks, processed meats, industrial breads). As UPF consumption rises, your intake of harmful sugars and fats increases while beneficial fiber and protein decrease, significantly raising your risk of nutrient inadequacy.
In adults, as the consumption of ultra-processed foods increased, the total energy intake, the dietary energy density and the contents of carbohydrates, free sugars, total fats and saturated fats increased significantly... Contents of protein, fibre and Na decreased significantly as the dietary share of ultra-processed foods increased... The prevalence of those exceeding the upper limits recommended for free sugars and saturated fats increased by 544 and 153 % in adults... when comparing the lowest with the highest quintile of ultra-processed food consumption.
Why this rating
Large, nationally representative cross-sectional study with robust statistical adjustment for confounders, though causality cannot be strictly established due to observational design.
Source
Consumption of ultra-processed foods and non-communicable disease-related nutrient profile in Portuguese adults and elderly (2015–2016): the UPPER project
Renata Costa de Miranda et al. · British Journal Of Nutrition · 2020
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