Eating More Ultraprocessed Foods Heightens Risk for Chronic Diseases

TUESDAY, Sept. 29, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Eating more ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) is associated with higher risks for multiple chronic diseases and all-cause mortality, according to a study published online Sept. 22 in Family Medicine and Community Health.Xiao Liu, M.D., Ph.D., from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature search to identify prospective studies evaluating consumption of UPFs and the impact on major chronic outcomes.Based on 51 studies (8.8 million adults), the researchers found that consumption of UPFs was associated with cardiovascular events (hazard ratio [HR], 1.24), cancer (HR, 1.12), obesity or overweight (HR, 1.23), metabolic syndrome (MetS) or diabetes (HR, 1.24), depression or anxiety (HR, 1.27), digestive diseases (HR, 1.31), and all-cause mortality (HR, 1.18). There was a dose-response relationship, with each additional 100 g/day of UPF associated with higher risks for hypertension (HR, 1.11), cardiovascular events (HR, 1.14), cancer (HR, 1.04), all-cause mortality (HR, 1.03), and MetS or diabetes (HR, 1.02)."Given that UPF-related chronic diseases often cluster as multimorbidity, reducing consumption of UPFs and replacing them with minimally processed alternatives may be relevant for chronic disease prevention and primary care management," the authors write.Abstract/Full Text.Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

Eating More Ultraprocessed Foods Heightens Risk for Chronic Diseases

Related Stories

Bogus Treatments Common For People With Vision Loss

Nasal Spray Eases Pain Quickly For Kids Treated In ER

Risk Of Death, Major Disease High Following Type 2 Diabetes Diagnosis

Less Overdiagnosis In Breast Cancer Screening Than Thought, Study Finds