2 types of ultra-processed foods 'strongly' linked to shorter lifespans, study findings suggest

(NEXSTAR) – Certain ultra-processed foods may be shortening your life, the results of a decades-long study indicate, according to researchers. The findings, presented Sunday at the American Society for Nutrition’s annual meeting in Chicago, indicated that older adults with diets high in what researchers called “ultra-processed” or highly processed foods were about 10% more likely to die during the study period, which spanned nearly 30 years.

Those with higher intakes of ultra-processed foods were, specifically, more susceptible to a risk of death linked to diabetes or heart disease, researchers said of the study results, which have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The results indicated no increase in deaths related to cancer, however.

More than 540,000 subjects participated in the study, ranging in age from 50 to 71, the American Society for Nutrition noted in a press release. Over half have died since researchers began collecting their self-reported dietary data in the mid-1990s.

Researchers used something called the NOVA classification system to group foods into four categories: 1) unprocessed or minimally processed foods; 2) processed ingredients (like oils, butter, etc.); 30 processed foods (usually foods from category 1 that are altered or augmented with ingredients from category 2); and ultra-processed foods, created by industrial processes and with ingredients rarely used by home cooks.

Researchers said two types of ultra-processed foods were more “strongly” linked with adverse effects.

“We observed that highly processed meat and soft drinks were a couple of the subgroups of ultra-processed food most strongly associated with mortality risk and eating a diet low in these foods is already recommended for disease prevention and health promotion,” said lead author Erikka Loftfield, Ph.D, of the National Cancer Institute.

A representative for the research group was not immediately available to comment on the specific types of soft drinks or processed meats Loftfield mentioned. But ultra-processed foods, as defined by the NOVA categorization system, include both sugary and artificially sweetened soft drinks, as well as sausages, hot dogs, chicken or fish nuggets, and other “reconstituted meat products,” according to the World Health Organization.

Loftfield admitted that the study did not determine causality, but researchers said the findings held up to scrutiny when accounting for subjects’ other unhealthy traits, like obesity or smoking. In other words, even participants with lifestyles considered to be healthier, but reported eating more ultra-processed foods, had increased risks of mortality.

The American Society for Nutrition noted that the study itself has not been peer-reviewed, but only “evaluated and selected” for presentation based on the opinions of a “a committee of experts.” The study’s authors also said more research needs to be done on the subject, partially because of the changes on the landscape of the American diet since the study’s inception.

In addition to the processed-foods study, studies discussed at Nutrition 2024 included research on: staving off menopause-related weight gain with sauna usage; reducing healthcare costs by providing personalized meals for patients with diabetes or heart disease; and even the possibility of building a nutrient-dense diet from ultra-processed foods.