Frequent consumption of ultra-processed foods increases risk of death, especially for women

Long-term consumption of ultra-processed foods significantly increases the risk of death, particularly from cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, and metabolite data provide new insights into the underlying health effects.

study: Ultra-processed food consumption, plasma metabolite profiles, and risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality in a population-based cohort. Image credit: Rinma Bondarenko / Shutterstock

In a recent study published in the journal clinical nutritionresearchers used a large cohort of 27,670 participants, plasma metabolite analysis, and hazard models to assess the effects of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) on metabolite signatures and mortality risk. . Long-term follow-up studies (median = 23.3 years) revealed that UPF intake was positively associated with all-cause mortality, especially in women.

UPF intake was significantly associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality, premature mortality, and respiratory disease mortality, but no statistically significant association was observed with cancer mortality. There wasn't. Plasma metabolite experiments further demonstrated that 93 metabolite signatures were associated with all-cause mortality risk.

This study provides the first empirical evidence of the adverse mortality-promoting effects of frequent UPF intake and validates public health campaigns and aggressive dietary intervention efforts.

background

The NOVA classification system defines ultra-processed foods (UPF, Group 4 foods) as foods that are highly processed and contain many raw materials, including food additives and processed ingredients, and that contain little or no nutritional content. Defined as a food derivative. UPF offers a number of consumer-friendly attractions, including taste, affordability, and accessibility, and as a result has exploded in popularity in recent decades.

Western countries and developed regions contribute disproportionately to the popularity of UPF, with the food accounting for a significant portion of the “Western dietary pattern”, which is the staple food for 14-44% of Europeans and almost 60% of Americans. I am.

Unfortunately, over the past five years, a growing body of observational evidence has suggested a correlation between serious chronic health concerns and increased UPF consumption, leading to research by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Public health agencies such as the CDC (CDC) recommend against consumption.

Unfortunately, clinically validated empirical evidence for the deleterious association of UPF remains limited and confusing, due to the small sample sizes of previous studies and short follow-up periods. This may be due to the scarcity and focus on race, primarily white Americans. Establishing a negative outcome after ingesting UPF would give public health agencies a much-needed scientific opinion to curb this silent pandemic.

About research

This study evaluated the association between UPF intake (subdivided into seven UPF subgroups) and mortality (all-cause, preterm birth, cancer, CVD, and respiratory disease). The study leverages 23.3 years of follow-up data from the Malmö Diet and Cancer (MDC) Cohort Study of more than 74,000 Swedish citizens aged 45 to 73 years, extending Addressing study limitations, 30,446 participants participated in baseline screening.

Screening included two questionnaires containing items on socio-economic and lifestyle factors and anthropometric records. Participants with incomplete dietary records were excluded, resulting in a final cohort size of 27,670 participants. A subset of 6,103 participants were concurrently enrolled in the Malmö Dietary and Cancer Cardiovascular Cohort (MDC-CC) and had access to blood lipid and lipoprotein subfractions for metabolomic investigations.

Weekly dietary UPF intake data were obtained using a 168-item custom questionnaire and an additional 1-hour nutritional interview. Metabolomics studies were performed using untargeted liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Finally, outcome ascertainment data (death records) were obtained from the National Board of Health and Welfare, Statistics Sweden, and the Swedish Tax Agency. Deaths that occurred in participants younger than 75 years were classified as “premature” and disease-related causes of death were recorded using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes. Outcomes were assessed using Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs) adjusted for covariates (age, sex, etc.).

Research results

Of the 27,670 study participants, 60.7% were female and the average age was 58.1 years. During a median follow-up of 23.3 years, approximately 41% of the cohort (n = 11,333) died from chronic diseases, including cancer (3,938 people), CVD (3,709 people), and respiratory diseases (758 people). Of these, 3,672 were considered “early” deaths.

Analysis of dietary items revealed that UPF accounted for 13.4% of the total food intake of the cohort. Participants with higher UPF intake were more likely to be female, older, non-smokers, and low alcohol consumers. High UPF intake was also associated with educational status (low), body mass index (BMI, high), and cancer prevalence. The main contributors to UPF intake were breakfast cereals (26%), beverages (23.3%), sugar products (18.4%), sauces (15.5%), and meat and fish (13.6%).

Hazard ratio analysis revealed a significant nonlinear positive association between UPF intake and all-cause mortality (P_non-linear = 0.022). Analysis of covariates revealed that this association was stronger and more linear in women, and weaker and J-shaped in men. The HRs for all-cause mortality, early mortality, CVD-related mortality, and respiratory disease were 1.06, 1.06, 1.05, and 1.08, respectively. Surprisingly, no association between UPF intake and cancer mortality risk could be established.

Metabolic signature analysis identified over 900 metabolites of interest, 93 of which were observed to be significantly associated with UPF intake and dramatically increase mortality risk (HR = 1.23) by up to 23%. In contrast, minimally processed and processed foods were observed to reduce mortality risk (HR = 0.87) by up to 13%.

conclusion

This study provides the first empirical evidence of the adverse effects of long-term UPF intake, which increases mortality. The findings revealed that women and older people have a higher risk of death compared to younger people and men. Patients with a high BMI and those who had never smoked had a similar worsening of risk.

Lipid and lipoprotein analyzes confirmed these findings and revealed that increased UPF intake was associated with an unfavorable lipid profile, including decreased HDL and increased VLDL. Metabolomics analysis validated these findings and identified 93 additional metabolic signatures that can be used to quantify physiological UPF exposure in future studies.

Together, these findings substantiate a global public health campaign against UPF overdose and inform consumers of the potential self-harm that purchasing and ingesting UPF can cause.

“Findings from the UPF subgroup suggested that special attention should be paid to ultra-processed meats and beverages when considering UPF intake limits. Surprisingly, sugar-containing products were inversely associated with CVD mortality risk. The identified metabolites provided insights into understanding UPF-related metabolic fluctuations.”The underlying mechanisms linking UPF intake and mortality risk remain to be explored. Verification is guaranteed. ”