A food must contain minimal amounts of whole food ingredients and five or more — often many more — inexpensive, industrially produced ingredients to qualify as UPF.
Scientists have long cautioned against the overconsumption of UPF, linking them to a range of health conditions. Recent studiesTrusted Source have indicated that they can lead to cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality.
A new study finds that consuming UPF increases the risk of a second — and more likely fatal — heart attack or stroke for people who already have CVD.
“We saw,” says first author of the study Dr. Marialaura Bonaccio, “that people with a higher consumption of ultra-processed foods have a two-thirds increased risk of a second heart attack or stroke, this time fatal, compared with participants eating these foods less frequently. The probability of dying from any cause is also 40% higher.”
Worryingly, consumption of UPF is growing, particularly in the United States, where nearly 60% of the average person’s diet is likely to be made up of highly processed foods.
The Department of Epidemiology and Prevention of the I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed in Pozzilli, Italy, conducted the study, which appears in European Heart Journal.
Recognizing ultra-processed foods
Dr. Bonaccio told Medical News Today, “It is important to underline that the definition of ultra-processed food is not linked to the nutritional content, but rather to the process used for its preparation and storage. In other words, even if a food is nutritionally balanced, it might still be considered ultra-processed.”
Cardiology dietician Michelle Routhenstein, MS RD CDE CDN, who was not involved in the study, told MNT:
“I find that many people are hyper-focused on calories, so when they read the food label, if the nutritional facts panel satisfies what they are assessing it for, they can easily dismiss the processing element of the food. I, therefore, like to direct the attention of the consumer to read the actual ingredient list first.”
Routhenstein adds, “When looking at the food label, it may be helpful to understand at a glance the NOVA classification scale.”
The NOVA classification system assigns foods to one of four categories based on the amount of processing they involve:
Group 1 — Unprocessed or minimally processed foods. These are either unprocessed foods or foods that have undergone minimal processing, such as cooking or pasteurization.
Group 2 — Processed culinary ingredients. These derive from nature or group 1 foods. They include olive oil, salt, maple syrup, and other items which people may use to prepare group 1 foods.
Group 3 — Processed foods. These are foods created using items from groups 1 and 2, such as bread and cheese.
Group 4 — Ultra-processed food and drink products. Manufacturers have formulated these food products to be tasty, cheap to buy, and easy to prepare. They include few to no products from group 1 and often contain fats, salt, preservatives, stabilizers, food coloring, artificial flavoring, and refined grains.
Open Food Facts summarizes group 4 foods: “soft drinks, sweet or savory packaged snacks, reconstituted meat products, and pre-prepared frozen dishes.”
How UPF may affect cardiovascular health
Dr. Bonaccio shared with MNT some hypotheses regarding the relationship between UPF and the increased risk of CVD-related death: “Here, we saw that only a small part of the excess of death risk is attributable to the poor nutritional content of these UPF, and this leads [us] to think that other non-nutritional factors of UPF are potentially responsible for their detrimental effects on health.”
“They are frequently packaged in materials that are a source of phthalatesTrusted Source and bisphenolsTrusted Source that are multifunctional synthetic chemicals used to make plastics flexible and durable.” Dr. Bonaccio added that “UPF are also a major source of food additives and neoformed compoundsTrusted Source that have been shown to have adverse effects on human health in experimental and some epidemiological studies.”
“Thus,” Dr. Bonaccio concluded, “it seems that UPFs do not exert specific cardiovascular effects but accelerate the occurrence of secondary events in patients with pre-existing CVD.”
Source:Medicalnewstoday.com.
YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE
FALSE! Yoruba Not An Official Language In Brazil
Claim: A national newspaper and multiple online platforms claim Brazil has adopted Yoruba as its official language and that the language would be included in primary and secondary schools curriculum.
Verdict: The claim is false. The content of the article published by these online platforms is not new; it has been recirculated several times and has been debunked.
Viral Voice Note On WhatsApp Billing False
Claim: A viral WhatsApp voice note, purportedly made by the director and CEO of WhatsApp, claims users will have to start paying for WhatsApp services.
Verdict: The viral WhatsApp voice note claim is a hoax. The content is not new and has been circulated as a broadcast message several times in the past.
Marburg Virus: What You Need To Know About Disease Recently Detected In West Africa
On Monday, August 9, 2021, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed the first case of Marburg virus in West Africa in Guinea. This development has sent shivers down the spines of West Africans who are still grappling with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. But before this dreaded disease is greeted by rumours and misinformation, here is what you have to know about the virus.APC states to establish Health Emergency Trust Fund…
FACT CHECK: US Did Not Give Nigeria 48 Hours Ultimatum To Detain Abba Kyari
CLAIM: Several social media posts claim the United States of America (USA) gave Nigeria’s Federal Government 48 hours to detain suspended Deputy Police Commissioner, Abba Kyari, or face severe sanctions.
VERDICT: The claim is false and misleading. The US did not give Nigerian Federal Government 48 hours ultimatum to detain Abba Kyari.
and then