Food Processing Crucial for CVD Risk

A UK prospective cohort study suggested that plant sourced non ultra-processed foods (UPF) linked to a lower risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), while plant sourced UPF linked to a higher CVD risk. Data were from the UK Biobank participants (40–69 y, n = 126,842, median follow-up 9 y) who completed at least two 24-h dietary recalls with rigorous application of the Nova food classification criteria based on level of processing between 2009 and 2012. Every 10% increase in plant sourced non-UPF consumption was associated with a 7% and 13% lower risk of CVD and CVD mortality, respectively. Conversely, plant sourced UPF consumption was associated with a 5% and 12% higher risk of CVD and CVD mortality, respectively; replacing plant-sourced UPF with plant-sourced non-UPF was associated with a 7% and 15% lower risk of CVD and CVD mortality, respectively. All UPF was linked to higher CVD risk and mortality, although no evidence for an association between all plant-sourced foods and CVD risk and mortality was observed. The findings are in line with previous studies and support the notion to improve CVD health outcomes with a shift towards plant-sourced food that consider the degree of food processing. Source: https://www.thelancet.com/