According to a new meta-analysis of research involving over 240,000 people, increasing the amount of ultraprocessed foods in your diet raises the risk of premature death. The study, led by Carlos Augusto Monteiro, found that for every 10% increase in calories from ultraprocessed foods, the risk of dying prematurely between the ages of 30 and 69 rose by nearly 3%. Monteiro, who coined the term "ultraprocessed," classifies foods into four groups based on their level of processing. Ultraprocessed foods contain little to no whole food and are manufactured from chemically manipulated cheap ingredients with synthetic additives.

A 2024 editorial in The BMJ suggests that humans may not fully adapt to these products, causing the body to react negatively and potentially impairing or damaging its systems. However, the Consumer Brands Association argues that demonizing convenient and affordable foods could limit access to nutrient-dense options, decreasing diet quality and increasing health disparities.

Other studies have also found associations between negative health outcomes and ultraprocessed foods. A February 2024 study linked higher intake of ultraprocessed foods to a 50% higher risk of cardiovascular disease-related death and mental disorders. Increased consumption might also raise the risk of anxiety, obesity, sleep disorders, type 2 diabetes, depression, and early death.

A May 2024 study indicated that adding just 10% of ultraprocessed food to a healthy diet could increase the risk of cognitive decline and stroke. Research in 2023 connected a 10% increase in ultraprocessed foods to a greater chance of developing cancers of the upper digestive tract.

Ultraprocessed foods make up a significant portion of the US food supply, with estimates suggesting that up to 70% of it falls into this category. Children in the US consume approximately two-thirds of their calories from ultraprocessed foods, while adults consume about 60%.

The recent study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine estimated the number of preventable deaths in eight countries based on their consumption levels of ultraprocessed foods. The findings suggest that premature preventable deaths due to ultraprocessed foods can range from 4% in countries with lower consumption to almost 14% in countries with higher consumption. In the US, reducing ultraprocessed food consumption to zero could have prevented over 124,000 deaths in 2017.

It's important to consider that the study couldn't definitively determine if the deaths were caused by ultraprocessed food consumption. Additionally, setting a theoretical minimal risk level of zero, which implies the complete elimination of ultraprocessed foods, is unrealistic in current society, potentially overestimating the burden of premature death due to these foods.

While the study doesn't prove that ultraprocessed foods are harmful, it provides evidence linking their consumption to poorer health outcomes. Consuming large amounts of ultra-processed food (UPF) increases the risk of an early death, according to an international study that has reignited calls for a crackdown on UPF. Each 10% extra intake of UPF, such as bread, cakes and ready meals, increases someone’s risk of dying before they reach 75 by 3%, according to research in countries including the US and England. UPF is so damaging to health that it is implicated in as many as one in seven of all premature deaths that occur in some countries, according to a paper in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. They are associated with 124,107 early deaths in the US a year and 17,781 deaths every year in England, the review of dietary and mortality data from eight countries found.