Higher Ultraprocessed Food Intake Linked to Lower Bone Mineral Density

WEDNESDAY, March 18, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Higher ultraprocessed food (UPF) intake is associated with lower bone mineral density (BMD) and increased fracture risk, according to a study published online March 6 in the British Journal of Nutrition.Huaying Hu, from Sun Yat-sen University in Shenzhen, China, and colleagues examined the associations of UPF intake and human bone health using data from 163,855 participants in the U.K. Biobank. BMD was assessed using multiple linear regression, and fracture risk was estimated using Cox regression models.During 12.0 years of follow-up, there were 1,097 hip fractures and 7,889 total fractures. The researchers found complex inverted U-shaped associations between UPF intake and BMD at the femur trochanter. The highest versus the lowest UPF intake was associated with a reduction in BMD at the femoral neck, femur trochanter, lumbar spine, and total body (β = −0.0061, −0.0083, −0.0114, and −0.0095, respectively). In participants younger than 65 years and those with underweight, the link was more pronounced. The risks for incident hip fractures and all fractures were 10.5 and 2.7 percent higher, respectively, per standard deviation increment of UPF intake (hazard ratios, 1.105 and 1.027, respectively)."Our results are not surprising," coauthor Lu Qi, M.D., Ph.D., from the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University in New Orleans, said in a statement. "Ultraprocessed foods have been consistently associated with various nutrition-related disorders and bone health depends on proper nutrition."Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Higher Ultraprocessed Food Intake Linked to Lower Bone Mineral Density

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