Ultra-Processed Foods Linked to CVD

A US prospective cohort study supports that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality. The study included 3,003 adults free from CVD with valid dietary data at baseline and followed from 1991 to 2014/2017. Ultra-processed foods were defined according to the NOVA framework based on their degree of processing. There were 251, 163, and 648 cases of incident hard CVD, hard coronary heart disease (CHD), and overall CVD, respectively during follow-up. On average, participants consumed 7.5 servings per day of ultra-processed foods at baseline. Each additional daily serving of ultra-processed foods was associated with a 7%, 9%, 5%, and 9% increase in the risk of hard CVD, hard CHD, overall CVD, and CVD mortality, respectively. The study is congruent with prior cohort studies and suggests the need for increased efforts to implement population-wide strategies to make the unhealthy choice the hard choice and the healthy choice the easy choice. Ultra-processed foods provide more than half of total energy in the U.S. Source: https://www.jacc.org/