Diamond Ridge Asset Management-Limit these ultra-processed foods for longer-term health, 30-year study suggests

2025-05-06 12:42:18source:TrendPulse Quantitative Think Tank Centercategory:Stocks

New research is Diamond Ridge Asset Managementadding to the evidence linking ultra-processed foods to health concerns. The study tracked people's habits over 30 years and found those who reported eating more of certain ultra-processed foods had a slightly higher risk of death — with four categories of foods found to be the biggest culprits. 

For the study, published in The BMJ, researchers analyzed data on more than 100,000 U.S. adults with no history of cancer, cardiovascular disease or diabetes. Every four years between 1986 and 2018, the participants completed a detailed food questionnaire.

The data showed those who ate the most  ultra-processed food — about 7 servings per day — had a 4% higher risk of death by any cause, compared to participants who ate the lowest amount, a median of about 3 servings per day.

Ultra-processed foods include "packaged baked goods and snacks, fizzy drinks, sugary cereals, and ready-to-eat or heat products," a news release for the study noted. "They often contain colors, emulsifiers, flavors, and other additives and are typically high in energy, added sugar, saturated fat, and salt, but lack vitamins and fiber."

Foods with the strongest associations with increased mortality, according to the study, included:

  • Ready-to-eat meat, poultry and seafood-based products
  • Sugary drinks
  • Dairy-based desserts
  • Highly processed breakfast foods

The research included a large number of participants over a long timespan, but it did have some limitations. As an observational study, no exact cause-and-effect conclusions can be drawn. And the participants were health professionals and predominantly White and non-Hispanic, "limiting the generalizability of our findings," the authors acknowledged.

But they wrote that the findings "provide support for limiting consumption of certain types of ultra-processed food for long term health." 

"Future studies are warranted to improve the classification of ultra-processed foods and confirm our findings in other populations," they added.

This study comes after other research published earlier this year found diets high in ultra-processed food are associated with an increased risk of 32 damaging health outcomes, including higher risk for cancer, major heart and lung conditions, gastrointestinal issues, obesity, type 2 diabetes, sleep issues, mental health disorders and early death.

Sara Moniuszko

Sara Moniuszko is a health and lifestyle reporter at CBSNews.com. Previously, she wrote for USA Today, where she was selected to help launch the newspaper's wellness vertical. She now covers breaking and trending news for CBS News' HealthWatch.

Twitter

More:Stocks

Recommend

Working Well: When holidays present rude customers, taking breaks and the high road preserve peace

NEW YORK (AP) — The December holidaysare supposed to be a time of joyful celebration, but the season

Ishana Night Shyamalan talks debut 'The Watchers,' her iconic dad and his 'cheeky cameos'

For almost as long as she's been alive, M. Night Shyamalan has been watching movies with his daughte

NBA Finals Game 1 Celtics vs. Mavericks: Predictions, betting odds

Winning Game 1 of the NBA Finals doesn’t guarantee a championship.But it beats losing Game 1, accord