A New Understanding of Processed Food
Research is finally providing reasons for why ultra-processed foods harm people’s health
Ultra-processed food — which contains preservatives, emulsifiers, colorings, and other added ingredients — make up more than half of all calories consumed in the United States, according to a 2016 study. That’s a problem, say medical experts, since a large body of research links processed food to unwanted weight gain and poorer health. For example, a study in the journal Circulation found a 42% higher risk of heart disease among people who ate processed meats, and another study found a 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet was associated with a significant increase of greater than 10% in risks of breast cancer and cancer overall. Research published earlier this year in JAMA Internal Medicine found that higher consumption of ultra-processed food was linked to “a higher risk of early death from all causes, especially cancers and cardiovascular disease.”
But these studies didn’t show cause, just that there was an association. Like most research on the impact of processed food on human health, these studies were observational. This means researchers ask people what they typically eat (which is often hard for people to remember or share honestly), and they can’t control for other…
