In any grocery store, whether it is a chain hypermarket or a small shop near the house, we can see in the window the so-called “processed foods,” that is, those that are cooked, preserved, frozen, packaged or altered by adding additional substances.
The accessibility, convenience and clever marketing of ultra-processed foods make them very attractive to the consumer, who does not think that we pay for the consumption of such food with our own health.
A recent study by Brazilian scientists at the University of São Paulo found an “alarming” link between the increasing consumption of highly processed foods, such as white bread and sugary carbonated beverages, and premature death.
Researchers looked at 2019 mortality data in Brazil and concluded that consumption of ultra-processed foods caused 10 percent of premature deaths.
“Previous studies have assessed the health and economic burdens of food-critical ingredients such as sugar, salt and trans fats, as well as individual products such as sugary carbonated beverages,” study author Eduardo Nielson said in a statement.
“To our knowledge, no study to date has evaluated the potential effect of ultra-processed foods on the occurrence of premature death. Knowing the risks associated with eating such foods and modeling changes in the human diet can contribute to better food policies and prevent the onset and development of chronic disease,” Nielson added.
Ultra-processed foods such as packaged and ready-to-eat snacks, frozen pizza, sugary drinks and breakfast cereals form a significant part of the modern human diet. But a growing body of research links such eating behavior to high risks of obesity, dementia and cancer. Scientists also note that such foods are very low in protein and fiber and high in sugar, fat and salt.
Scientists believe that in high-income countries such as the U.S., U.K. and Canada, where ultra-processed foods account for about half of total calorie intake, the health effects of such diets would be higher.
Researchers say reducing the consumption of processed foods by 10 percent could potentially prevent between 5,900 and 29,300 premature deaths per year in Brazil.
The Club of Experts information and analysis project analyzed the effects of food additives on humans, see the video at this link for more details
