Ultra-processed foods have long had a bad reputation for being high in calories, sugar, fat and salt – now, UK researchers have identified the four types most likely to lead to type 2 diabetes.
UPFs with the highest risk are savory foods, animal-based products such as processed meat, ready meals and drinks sweetened with sugar or an artificial substitute, according to a study published Sunday in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe .
“This study … confirms that not all foods categorized as UPF are the same in terms of the health risks associated with them,” said senior author Rachel Batterham, a professor of obesity, diabetes and endocrinology at University College London .
Researchers analyzed the UPF consumption of nearly 312,000 people from eight European countries. Participants were tracked for an average of about 11 years—during which time, almost 15,000 developed type 2 diabetes.
The study authors linked each 10% increase in UPF with a 17% increase in the risk of diabetes.
Participants can reduce this risk by substituting raw or minimally processed foods (MPF) – such as eggs, milk and fruit – or processed foods (PF) – such as canned fish, cheese, salted nuts, artisan breads and canned fruits and vegetables.
Researchers divided UPFs into nine groups:
- Bread, biscuits and breakfast cereals
- Sauces, spreads and condiments
- Sweets and desserts
- Delicious snacks
- Plant-based alternatives
- Animal-based products
- Ready-to-eat/heat mixed dishes
- Artificial and sugar-sweetened beverages
- Alcoholic beverages
- Other UPFs
Among the people who ate the most UPFs—where these foods made up nearly a quarter of their diet—sweetened beverages made up nearly 40% of their UPF intake and 9% of their overall diet.
High amounts of sugar in the blood have been shown to damage cells, promoting chronic inflammation, which has been linked to heart disease, diabetes, liver disease and cancer.
On the other hand, the authors of the new study found that UPF bread, crackers and breakfast cereals, cakes and pastries, and plant-based alternatives were associated with lower incidence of diabetes.
“Bread and cereals, for example, are a staple of many people’s diets,” Batterham said. “Based on our results, I think we should treat them differently with tasty foods or sugary drinks in terms of the dietary advice we offer.
Obesity and type 2 diabetes are widespread public health crises in the US, so dietary choices are top of mind.
“The findings from this study add to the growing body of research linking UPF consumption with higher risk of certain chronic diseases including obesity, cardiometabolic disease and some cancers,” said Marc Gunter, an author of the study from Imperial College London.
Gunter added: “While such a study cannot establish causal relationships, it does suggest that reducing the consumption of some UPFs and replacing them with unprocessed, whole foods may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. Research is now needed further to understand possible causal mechanisms and pathways.”
The UCL team is conducting a trial to evaluate UPFs against MPFs, with results expected to be published next year.
Meanwhile, a recent Harvard study found that sugary or artificially sweetened beverages and processed meats may increase the risk of heart disease more than other UPFs.
Snacks, cold cereals, and yogurt/dairy-based desserts were associated with a lower risk of heart disease, and processed breads and cold cereals were associated with a lower risk of stroke.
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