Harvard researchers have found that sugary drinks and processed meat are the only two highly processed foods linked to a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The scientists used data from nurses and healthcare professionals to test the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart disease and stroke resulting from eating different types of ultra-processed foods.
But while they’ve long been vilified, not all ultra-processed foods (UPF) are created equal.
Yogurt, whole wheat bread and savoury snacks were even found to slightly reduce the risk of the diseases.
Harvard researchers have found that sugary drinks and processed meat are the only two ultra-processed foods linked to a higher risk of heart attacks and strokes.
The Nova system, developed by scientists in Brazil more than a decade ago, divides foods into four groups based on the amount of processing they’ve undergone. Whole foods include fruits, vegetables, nuts, eggs and meat. Processed culinary ingredients — those that aren’t usually eaten alone — include oils, butter, sugar and salt
UPFs make up 57 per cent of the average British diet. This category includes soft drinks, crisps, bacon and breakfast cereals.
A telltale sign that a food has a UPF protection factor is if it contains ingredients you won’t find in your kitchen cupboards, such as unrecognizable dyes, sweeteners and preservatives.
Another clue is the amount of fat, salt and sugar in each package. UPFs usually contain high amounts.
But supermarket products like breakfast cereals and pre-packaged bread can be mass-produced and are also considered ultra-processed.
That’s because they often contain extra ingredients, such as emulsifiers, artificial flavors and sweeteners, instead of just flour, salt, yeast and water.
However, research published this week in The Lancet suggests that we need to ‘deconstruct’ the classification of ultra-processed foods as Many of the UPFs have a ‘varied nutritional composition and therefore have cardiovascular benefits.
In three studies, UPF intake was measured using food frequency questionnaires.
Researchers looked at data from the NHS Nurses’ Health Study of 75,735 female nurses aged 30 to 55, a second Nurses’ Health Study of 90,813 women aged 25 to 42, and a follow-up Health Professionals Study of 40,409 men aged 40 to 75.
People who had previously had cardiovascular disease or cancer, or who had a high BMI, were excluded from the study.
A selection of UPFs was divided into ten groups: bread and breakfast cereals; sauces, spreads and condiments; packaged sweet snacks and desserts; packaged savoury snacks; sugar-sweetened beverages; processed red meat, poultry and fish; ready-to-eat/reheatable mixed meals; yoghurt/dairy-based desserts; spirits; artificially sweetened beverages.
They found that consuming a lot of sugary and artificially sweetened drinks is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
This risk was also found in diets high in processed meats, such as sausage, bacon, and hot dogs.
However, inverse associations were observed for bread, cereals, yogurt, dairy desserts, and savoury snacks.
According to the study authors, processed meats and soft drinks in particular should be discouraged because of their consistent negative association with cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke.
However, they stress that reducing the sodium, saturated fat and added sugars in some of these UPFs can enhance the “cardioprotective benefits” of the vitamins, minerals and fiber found in some of these products.
They add that reducing cosmetic additives that are not essential for human health in whole wheat bread could also increase its health benefits.
Also, dairy-based yogurt and desserts were found to have only positive or neutral cardiovascular benefits, especially fermented yogurt.
The study authors noted that this was despite the dairy products’ typically high saturated fat and added sugar content. They added that yogurts containing probiotic bacteria or odd-chain fatty acids may contribute to lower cardiovascular risk, despite being a UPF.
