- A growing body of research has suggested that the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) has severe consequences for health.
- However, some researchers are now suggesting that many of the studies on UPFs and their adverse effects on health are not accounting for the differences in processing and ingredients of certain subgroups.
- Experts say that avoiding certain UPFs like deli meats, hot dogs, sugary drinks, and salty snacks are of greater importance than attempting to avoid anything processed at all.
Essentially, the paper suggests, many of the studies on UPFs and their adverse effects on health are not accounting for the differences in processing and ingredients of certain subgroups. By lumping them all together, these approaches tend to paint all UPFs with the same brush.
“Different groups of UPF evaluated within the same epidemiological study often show markedly different associations with the incidence of the health endpoints,” the authors wrote.
“Statistical analyses are based on numerous assumptions such as the food intake is measured accurately and precisely, that food composition is known quantitatively, the methods of food storage, preparation and cooking have no effect on the values, etc. Those assumptions are potentially questionable, and so are the corresponding results,” they suggested.
Melanie Murphy Richter, MS, RDN, a registered dietitian nutritionist and the director of communications for the nutrition company Prolon, who was not involved in the paper, told Medical News Today that almost all foods are processed in some form, but there are distinctions that consumers need to keep in mind.
“Whether it’s cooking, freezing, or fortifying with nutrients, the term ‘processed’ itself can be misleading when discussing health. It’s not necessarily the processing that’s harmful — it’s what happens during that process. For example, making yogurt involves processing, but that doesn’t make it unhealthy. This paper underscores that not…
Read the full article here
