Your Favorite Convenience Foods Might Be Killing You, Study Warns

That frozen pizza or energy bar might be more dangerous than you think. A new meta-analysis published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine links ultraprocessed food consumption to a higher risk of premature death.Researchers reviewed data from more than 240,000 people and found that for every 10% increase in calories from ultraprocessed foods, the risk of dying early jumped by nearly 3%. Study coauthor Carlos Augusto Monteiro, the Brazilian scientist who first coined the term “ultraprocessed,” didn’t mince words: These foods are chemically manipulated, packed with synthetic additives, and barely resemble real food.The NOVA classification system, which Monteiro developed, puts foods into four categories based on processing levels. Ultraprocessed foods fall into the fourth group — items like packaged snacks, ready-to-eat meals, sugary cereals, and diet sodas. Monteiro and his colleagues argue that humans aren’t built to handle this kind of heavily engineered diet.Other recent studies back up the findings, CNN reported. Higher intake of ultraprocessed foods has been linked to a staggering 50% higher risk of cardiovascular disease-related deaths, a 55% higher risk of obesity, and a 53% higher risk of anxiety. Even adding just one serving a day could increase the risk of serious health issues, including cancer, cognitive decline, and stroke.While some in the food industry, like the Consumer Brands Association, argue that demonizing ultraprocessed foods could hurt access to affordable options, critics say the science is becoming too overwhelming to ignore.The U.S. has the highest ultraprocessed food consumption in the world — nearly 55% of the average American’s diet. Researchers estimated that if ultraprocessed food consumption had been reduced to zero, over 124,000 deaths could have been prevented in the U.S. in 2017 alone.While completely eliminating ultraprocessed foods might not be realistic, cutting back could be a critical move for long-term health. As evidence continues to mount, dialing down packaged snacks and fast meals might be a smart lifestyle change.