Consumption of ultra-processed foods increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and premature mortality. This is the finding of two scientific studies, from the Universities of Paris and Navarre, both published in the British Medical Journal.
Ultraprocessed foods, the sketch
The NOVA classification, devised by the University of São Paulo, divides foods into 4 categories, precisely based on their level of industrial processing. And ultra-processed foods are those made from substances modified by chemical processes and made palatable with added flavorings, colorings, emulsifiers and other additives.
Sweet and salty snacks, snacks, ready-made meals including frozen ones, meat or fish preparations, sugary and carbonated drinks top the list. Thus, ultra-processed foods are the foods that undergo intensive industrial processing, which are almost always accompanied by completely unbalanced nutritional profiles.
Ultraprocessed foods and cardiovascular disease, the French study
The University of Paris, in a special study, identified the incidence in the diet of ultra-processed foods as a cardiovascular risk factor. (1) The researchers followed 105,159 people, with biannual updates of their diet composition, for a period of 5 years. Applying NOVA criteria to classify foods while recording the occurrence of diseases.
The increase in consumption of ultra-processed foods was found to be directly proportional to the incidence of diseases that are still the leading cause of premature mortality. Each 10% increase in ultra-processed food consumption corresponds to a 12% increase in cardiovascular disease, including coronary heart disease and cerebrovascular disease.
Ultra-processed food and premature mortality, the Spanish study
The University of Navarra (Spain) has in turn demonstrated the extreme harmfulness of ultra-processed foods, in another study published in the British Medical Journal. (2) The researchers monitored diet and health conditions of nearly 20 thousand individuals (19,899) for a full 15 years, from 1999 to 2014.
Diets with 4 or more servings per day of ultra-processed foods were associated with a 62 percent increased risk of premature mortality. With an additional incidence of risk increasing by 18 percent for each additional portion of food-waste. Since that is what we are actually talking about, the so-called HFSS(High Fat, Sugar and Salt) or junk food.
Too much junk-food, too few fruits and vegetables
The French researchers showed that in the group most accustomed to eating ultra-processed foods, consumption of unprocessed foods, particularly fruits and vegetables, is drastically reduced.
Dietary imbalance thus results in two negative effects, which add up. On the one hand, the reduced consumption of fruits and vegetables, which are as essential as they are beneficial to health. On the other, excessive consumption of junk-food, which provides excessive amounts of saturated fat and salt, sugar and energy. With scarcity of the valuable dietary fiber. A deadly mix known to be associated with obesity, overweight and related diseases.
Food additives, what impact on public health?
A negative role for public health is also potentially attributed by French researchers to the wide range of additives found in ultra-processed foods. Expressing doubts, in particular, about the cumulative and synergistic effect of multiple substances.
For some of the approximately 350 additives approved in Europe, the researchers recall, experimental studies in animal or cellular models have suggested several adverse effects on cardiovascular health. A few examples to follow.
– Sulfites. In rats, administration of high doses of sulfite caused heart damage. Sulfites are used in ready-made vinegar-based sauces, traditional wines and other products.
– Monosodium glutamate. At doses of 4 mg/kg body weight, in mice glutamate increases oxidative stress and causes atherosclerosis and other coronary heart disease. Flavor enhancer, added in sauces, soups, stock cubes and ready meals, is suspected of having obesogenic properties,
– Emulsifiers. They are very present in ultra-processed foods. Two substances, carboxymethyl cellulose and polysorbate-80, in mouse experiments have shown a role in inducing low-grade inflammation and obesity or metabolic syndrome,
– Carrageenan. Used as a food additive for its thickening properties, it could cause glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and inhibition of insulin signaling, as shown in a study in cell and animal models,
– Noncaloric artificial sweeteners. They are increasingly prevalent in ultra-processed foods. In particular, it was found that long-term consumption of acesulfame K could accelerate atherosclerosis, while sucralose increases glucose and insulin levels in obese women.
Process contaminants and packaging
Other elements of danger also lurk in ultra-processed foods. Industrial food processing-and in particular, heat treatments-produce contaminants, such as acrylamide in French fries, cookies, bread or coffee, and acrolein in grilled sausages and caramel candies. Two substances associated with serious diseases, including cardiovascular diseases. Not to mention the process contaminants, carcinogens and mutagens, which palm oil contains 6-10 times more than other refined vegetable oils and fats.
Finally, packaging can contaminate food due to the migration of toxic molecules. One case in point is bisphenol A found in some plastic packaging. Judged ‘a substance of very high concern’ by the European Chemicals Agency, a recent meta-analysis found BPA to also be associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic outcomes (particularly hypertension and coronary heart disease).
Notes
(1) Bernard Srour, Léopold K Fezeu, Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot, Benjamin Allès, Caroline Méjean, Roland M Andrianasolo, Eloi Chazelas, Mélanie Deschasaux, Serge Hercberg, Pilar Galan, Carlos A Monteiro, Chantal Julia, Mathilde Touvier. Ultra-processed food intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: prospective cohort study (NutriNet-Santé). BMJ 2019; 365 doi: https: //doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l1451
(2) Anaïs Rico-Campà, Miguel A Martínez-González, Ismael Alvarez-Alvarez, Raquel de Deus Mendonça, Carmen de la Fuente-Arrillaga, Clara Gómez-Donoso, Maira Bes-Rastrollo. Association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and all cause mortality: SUN prospective cohort study. BMJ doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l1949
Professional journalist since January 1995, he has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and periodicals (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). She is the author of journalistic surveys on food, she has published the book "Reading labels to know what we eat".