A recent extensive study published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe revealed a high amount of plant-based ultra-processed foods (UFPs) leads to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
The University of Sao Paulo conducted the research in collaboration with Imperial College London. It involved over 118,000 participants over ten years.
The study gathered data that encompassed dietary habits, lifestyle choices, environmental factors, biological samples, and medical records.
One of the co-authors of the study, Dr. Eszter Vamos from the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, said, "Fresh plant-based foods such as fruits and vegetables, whole grains and legumes are known to have important health and environmental benefits. While ultra-processed foods are often marketed as healthy foods, this large study shows that plant-based ultra-processed foods do not seem to have protective health effects and are linked to poor health outcomes."
The findings suggest that not all plant-based foods are equally beneficial, emphasizing the importance of choosing minimally processed options for better health outcomes, as the intense processing of these foods was found to strip away beneficial nutrients, replacing them with excessive amounts of salt, and sugar, and fat, leading to rapid absorption by the body. Compounds such as acrolein and acrylamide, commonly present in ultra-processed foods, were linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
The research team recommended that dietary guidelines should not only focus on reducing meat and animal product consumption but also advocate for the avoidance of ultra-processed foods in general. These recommendations align with previous studies that have associated ultra-processed foods with an elevated risk of over 30 health conditions, including premature death, weight gain, obesity, cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
Moreover, the impact of ultra-processed foods is receiving attention at the policy level, with the committee responsible for shaping the Dietary Guidelines for Americans considering the inclusion of a warning against these foods in the upcoming edition of the guidelines.
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