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A study published on Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) based on research conducted in France found that an increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods appears to result in overall higher mortality risk in adults. According to CNN, adults face a 14% higher risk of early death for each 10% increase in the amount of ultra-processed foods consumed. What counts as an ultra-processed food? These are defined in the study as “foods that are manufactured industrially from multiple ingredients that usually include additives used for technological and/or cosmetic purposes.”
Adults in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. all consume around 60% of their diet as ultra-processed food.
Because “ultra-processed” is a huge category of foods lumped together, the researchers lost sensitivity in their results and cannot pinpoint what exactly is causing the increase.
The study found that ultra-processed food consumption was associated with younger age, lower income, lower educational level, living alone, higher BMI and lower physical activity level.
The research also affirms that eating ultra-processed foods can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, and cancer.
Ultra-processed foods, according to the study, accounts for more than 14% of the weight of total food consumed and about 29% of total calories.
The study found only a correlation between these foods and higher mortality rates — it does not prove that ultra-processed food consumption causes premature death. But the researchers argued that such foods could shorten a person’s life span by increasing the risk of heart disease, cancer, and other diseases.
Why This Matters: The precise impact of each of the chemical additives and preservatives in our food is not studied nearly enough. But we already knew that pre-packaged foods and their chemical preservatives are not good for us – no big surprise here. This study is significant because it quantifies the risks of consuming so much pre-packaged food — and the risk is significant. Think twice before taking a bite of or putting these items in your kids’ lunch: packaged snacks; ice cream; candies; energy bars; processed meats; ready-made meals; and packaged cookies, cakes, and pastries. This is exposure to potentially dangerous chemicals that we can control by choosing wisely what we eat. Bottom line — eat healthy, and you will live longer.
What You Can Do: The authors recommend that consumers buy only those products “with the least number of ingredients and with ingredients you understand.”
To Go Deeper: Watch the video below about additives that are common in the U.S. and banned in other countries.
The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) has required PFAS, cancer-causing chemicals used in manufacturing, in firefighting gear for years despite cancer being the leading killer of firefighters. An extensive investigative two-part story by E&E News’ Ariel Wittenberg reveals not only the dangers of current equipment standards but the lengths the NFPA has gone to hide them.
Why This Matters: A study of 30,000 firefighters from 2010 to 2015 found that firefighters have an increased risk of many different cancers including: leukemia, malignant mesothelioma, bladder and prostate cancers, lung cancer, brain cancer, and digestive and oral cancers.
by Natasha Lasky, ODP Staff Writer World Health Organization expert Dr. Peter Ben Embarek revealed this week that the organization’s team of researchers have found two scenarios that could have transferred COVID-19 to humans. He acknowledges that COVID-19 could have been transmitted through frozen products at the Wuhan fish market, but the most likely scenario […]
By Amy Lupica, ODP Staff Writer A new study published Monday has found that a second, sneezier plague is ramping up. Allergy seasons have increased in duration by an average of 20 days since 1990. Why? Rising temperatures and an abundance of atmospheric carbon are increasing the amount of pollen in the air, and researchers say the […]
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