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From anxiety to cancer, the evidence against ultra-processed food piles up (www.npr.org)

submitted 8 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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A study published in the British Medical Journal finds people who consume high amounts of these foods have an increased risk of anxiety, depression, obesity, metabolic syndrome, certain cancers including colorectal cancer and premature death.

The data come from more than 9 million people who participated in dozens of studies, which researchers analyzed as part of umbrella review.

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[–] [email protected] 2 points 8 months ago

This is the best summary I could come up with:

"Taking the body of literature as a whole, there was consistent evidence that regularly eating higher – compared to lower – amounts of ultra-processed foods was linked to these adverse health outcomes," says study author Melissa Lane, of Deakin University in Australia.

One telltale sign that a food is ultra-processed is if its ingredient label includes substances you would not find in your own kitchen such as high-fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, hydrolysed protein, or additives such as artificial colors, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, anti-caking agents and thickeners.

The observational studies included in this new review do not prove that consumption of ultra-processed foods can cause anxiety, cancer or other health conditions.

But at a time when diet is a leading cause of chronic disease, it adds to a growing body of evidence that ultra-processed foods contribute to the development of these conditions.

When it comes to mood and mental health conditions, there is evidence to show that adults who maintain a healthy diet have fewer depressive symptoms.

A panel of advisors is currently evaluating all the latest diet and nutrition studies as part of a process to update the federal government's Dietary Guidelines.

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