Written by Babatunde Carew
Spoon Feed
Higher consumption of ultraprocessed foods is associated with increased all-cause mortality.
Dying for a hot dog
Ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) are highly prevalent in the modern food supply, often constituting more than half of available packaged products and daily caloric intake in high-income countries. Although most evidence is observational, current consensus – including guidance from the American Heart Association – supports limiting UPF intake due to the known association with obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mortality. This modeling study (based on observational data) examined the association between UPF consumption and premature all-cause mortality across eight countries. A dose-response meta-analysis of seven prospective cohorts (n=239,982; 14,779 deaths) found a 2.7% increased mortality risk per each 10% increase in UPF intake (RR 1.027; 95%CI 1.017–1.037). As with any observational study, this is limited by the inability to establish causality and is susceptible to confounding, selection bias, and measurement errors.
How does this change my practice?
UPFs have been a hot topic recently, especially following recent statements from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. While observational studies are limited in establishing causality, current evidence shows a significant correlation between UPF intake and all-cause mortality. This study reinforces my approach of advising patients to limit UPFs and adopt evidence-based diets like the Mediterranean diet.
Source
Premature Mortality Attributable to Ultraprocessed Food Consumption in 8 Countries. Am J Prev Med. 2025 Jun;68(6):1091-1099. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2025.02.018. Epub 2025 Apr 28. PMID: 40293384
