Study Links High Intake of Ultra-Processed Foods to Increased Cardiovascular Risk A recent study published in JACC: Advances investigated the effects of ultra-processed foods on heart health, focusing on 6,814 U.S. adults aged 45 to 84 who initially had no cardiovascular disease. Participants reported their diet through questionnaires, and researchers tracked their health over 12 years, monitoring events like heart attacks, strokes, and heart-related deaths. The study found that individuals consuming around nine servings of ultra-processed foods daily had a 67% higher risk of major cardiovascular events compared to those eating about one serving per day. Each additional daily serving increased risk by 5.1%. Ultra-processed foods, which include items like packaged breads, flavored yogurts, deli meats, frozen meals, and sugary drinks, are prevalent in the American diet and often displace nutrient-dense foods. Experts note these foods are high in sodium, refined carbs, added sugars, and unhealthy fats, while being low in fiber, contributing to inflammation, insulin resistance, and hypertension. Cardiologists emphasize moderation, suggesting an 80/20 approach that prioritizes whole or minimally processed foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, fish, and nuts, while still allowing occasional processed foods. The findings highlight that diet patterns, rather than single meals, are key in managing cardiovascular risk over time.

Study Links High Intake of Ultra-Processed Foods to Increased Cardiovascular Risk

🤖 IA: It's clickbait ⚠️
👥 Usuarios: It's clickbait ⚠️

#ultraprocessedfoods #heartdisease

View full AI summary:

Discover how ultra-processed foods may be today's tobacco wfpc.sanford.duke.edu/podcasts/foo...
#ashleygearhardt #allanbrandt #foodengineering #UPFs #ultraprocessedfoods #publichealth #tobaccoindustry #foodaddiction #healthcrisis #healthpolicy #consumerawareness #hyperpalatability #industrialfood

And yet… most clinicians get barely any nutrition training.

👉 Read more: library.fabresearch.org/viewItem.php...

#PublicHealth #UltraProcessedFoods #WholeFoods #NutritionalPsychiatry #NutritionalPsychology #FoodForMood #FABResearch

The #legislation is the latest in a #war on #UnhealthyFood gaining traction at both #theFederalAndStateLevel, and across parties, with #bipartisan support nationally for ridding #AmericanDiets of #UltraProcessedFoods. It would create a #CaliforniaCertified” seal on foods that aren’t #ultraprocessed.

The Sydney Morning Herlad covers our study in New England Journal of Medicine establishing the corporations that make 5 health harming products (#fossilfuels, #chemicals, #ultraprocessedfoods, #tobacco & #alcohol) as the leading risk factors for death globally. www.smh.com.au/national/the...

👇 Our study published New England Journal of Medicine establishes the corporations that make 5 health harming products (#fossilfuels, #chemicals, #ultraprocessedfoods, #tobacco & #alcohol) are the leading risk factors for death globally. @c2ech.bsky.social www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Corporate Vectors of Chronic Disease — Using Internal Industry Documents to Craft Counterstrategies | NEJM Corporations that make and market health-harming products are a primary vector for the global increase in mortality related to noncommunicable diseases. Research using internal industry documents c...

Just a few commercial products, including tobacco, alcohol and #ultraprocessedfoods, account for a very large proportion of deaths globally. Read our piece on how researchers can study health-harming corporations just like other vectors for disease, to protect health.

www.nejm.org/doi/full/10....

Protein bars are often marketed as convenient health foods, but many now function more like candy bars with a wellness halo. This article from The Atlantic highlights several key considerations that are easy to overlook.

Article 🔗: zurl.co/3mcRB #UltraProcessedFoods #NutritionScience #Protein

Ultra-processed foods are linked to reduced fertility and embryonic development – BioNews Central New research suggests that consuming large amounts of ultra-processed foods is linked not only to reduced fertility in men but also to slower growth in early embryos and smaller yolk sacs, which are essential for early embryonic development. ...

New research suggests that consuming large amounts of #UltraProcessedFoods is linked not only to reduced #fertility in #men but also to slower growth in early #embryos and smaller yolk sacs, which are essential for early #EmbryonicDevelopment.

© CBC/Radio-Canada 2026. All rights reserved.

"Our food systems can be re-designed to benefit more people, and that would require more than just individual behaviour change."

Thank you to @adamfwalsh.bsky.social for inviting me to discuss #ultraprocessedfoods and leading a thoughtful conversation 🎙️

www.cbc.ca/listen/live-...

San Francisco Sues Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Others Over 'Ultra-Processed' Products: Lawsuit The lawsuit alleges that a handful of companies (such as Kraft Heinz, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo) purposely misled consumers and monopolized grocery aisles, leading to widespread health concerns.

San Francisco Sues Coca-Cola, PepsiCo and Others Over 'Ultra-Processed' Products: Lawsuit

people.com/san-francisc...

#DeceptiveMarketing #UltraProcessedFoods #Kraft #CocaCola #PublicHealth

High Intake of Ultra-Processed Foods Raises Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke A recent study presented at the American College of Cardiology's Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26) found that consuming large amounts of ultra-processed foods significantly increases the risk of major cardiovascular events. In the study, adults who ate approximately nine servings per day of foods such as chips, frozen meals, sugary drinks, and packaged snacks had a 67% higher risk of heart attack, stroke, or death from heart disease compared to those consuming only one serving per day. The research also found that each additional daily serving increased the risk by over 5%, independent of total calories, overall diet quality, or existing health conditions. The study analyzed data from 6,814 adults aged 45–84 in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), highlighting that Black Americans faced an even higher risk increase per serving. Researchers emphasized that factors like targeted marketing and limited access to minimally processed foods could contribute to disparities. While the study relied on self-reported dietary questionnaires and did not examine biological mechanisms directly, prior research suggests ultra-processed foods may contribute to weight gain, inflammation, and visceral fat accumulation, all linked to heart disease. Experts recommend reading nutrition labels and moderating intake of highly processed foods to reduce cardiovascular risk.

High Intake of Ultra-Processed Foods Raises Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

🤖 IA: It's clickbait ⚠️
👥 Usuarios: It's clickbait ⚠️

#ultraprocessedfoods #heartdisease #stroke

View full AI summary:

Facts. #UPF #UltraProcessed #PlantBased #alternatives #UltraProcessedFoods #Vegan
www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUQL...

A Link Between Ultra-Processed Foods and Behavior Problems? Preschoolers who ate more ultra-processed foods were more likely to develop behavior issues like anxiety or aggression two years later.

Preschoolers who ate more ultra-processed foods were more likely to develop behavior issues like anxiety or aggression two years later. www.thedoctorwillseeyounow.com/content/kids... #ultraprocessedfoods #kids #kidsfood #KidsBehavior
@utoronto.ca @jamanetworkopen.com #snackfood #soda #junkfood

Health for All Starts with Food: Confronting Ultra-Processed Foods and Building Better Food Systems Explore how ultra-processed foods drive a global health crisis and why systemic change is needed to create equitable, sustainable food systems rooted in whole foods, justice, and public health.

Achieving #HealthForAll requires confronting the dominance of #UltraProcessedFoods. 🍔

Amanda Jekums writes on why systemic solutions must connect #publichealth, #agriculture, and #economicjustice.

➡️ futureoffood.org/health-for-all-starts-wi... #UPFs

Eating too many ultra-processed foods lowers bone mineral density and raises the risk of hip fracture, researchers warn.

youtu.be/I_zjdJb7uGU

#UltraProcessedFoods #BoneHealth #BoneDensity #HealthyEating #NutritionResearch

Join BFI for a conversation on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and the future of healthy food systems today, March 11th from 5:00 – 6:30 pm. This event is free and open to the public. Seating is first-come, first-serve. Doors open at 4:45 PM 🍏 #UltraProcessedFoods #SchoolNutrition #FoodPolicy

One of the most effective moments in this NPR piece on ultra-processed foods comes from a simple water test, done by the journalist and her 10-year-old daughter.

Read the full NPR article here: zurl.co/qppBz

#UltraProcessedFoods #FoodMatrix #NutritionScience #GutHealth #PublicHealth

Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in people under 50 Overall, cancer death rates in people younger than 50 have dropped by 44% since 1990. Only colorectal cancer deaths have increased.

Half of the people diagnosed under 50 are aged 45 to 49, so it's recommended to get screened by age 45 or sooner.

#ColonCancer #CancerScreening #ultraprocessedfoods

www.nbcnews.com/health/cance...

As a medical school professor, I'll say it plainly:
Ultra-processed food isn't "food." It's metabolic sabotage.

A new analysis of NHANES 2021–...
#metabolichealth #nutrition #cardiovascularhealth #insulinresistance #ultraprocessedfoods

www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/02/2602100...

For a generation that grew up surrounded by brightly packaged snacks, drive-thru convenience and 24/7 delivery apps, the question becomes bigger than diet trends or personal discipline.

#UltraProcessedFoods #FoodAddiction #PublicHealth #DietCulture

library.fabresearch.org/viewItem.php...

FAB: Ultraprocessed foods show addictionlike patterns comparable to tobacco, researchers say addiction, cigarettes, commercial determinants of health, public policy, tobacco regulation, ultraprocessed foods

Researchers found striking similarities btwn #UltraProcessedFoods and #tobacco products—both deliberately formulated to amplify reward in the brain, encourage habitual use & shape public perception in ways that protect profits

library.fabresearch.org/viewItem.php...

#FoodAddiction #FABResearch

Is This Food Equivalent To Tobacco? Scientists Are Saying Yes Can't stop eating certain foods? It's not willpower—it's engineering. 

Pretty sad and dangerous.

"Researchers found that these foods use tactics borrowed directly from the tobacco industry, such as dose optimization, rapid delivery of reinforcing ingredients, and what scientists call "hedonic manipulation."

#ultraprocessedfoods #badscience

Are Ultra-Processed Foods the New Cigarettes? New Research Says Yes Experts dug into decades of research to show how ultra-processed foods are designed for maximum reward, rapid absorption, and habitual overuse — paralleling tobacco industry tactics.

A New Acronym & Term Everyone Should Know !!

WARNING !! ⚠️ #UPF
WARNING ‼️ #UltraProcessedFoods

health.yahoo.com/wellness/nut...

Early childhood nutrition—particularly exposure to ultraprocessed foods—may play a meaningful role in shaping brain development

library.fabresearch.org/viewItem.php...

#ToddlerNutrition #ChildDevelopment #UltraprocessedFoods #ChildHealth #NutritionScience #FABResearch

Ultra-processed foods in early childhood linked to lower IQ scores Toddlers who consume processed meats and sugary snacks may face cognitive hurdles later in childhood. Research published in the British Journal of Nutrition suggests unhealthy eating at age two is lin...

#Ultraprocessedfoods in early #childhood linked to lower #IQ scores

www.psypost.org/ultra-proces...

A review of 651 infant and toddler foods sold across the U.S. finds nearly three-quarters fit the definition of ultra-processed and contain high levels of sugar, salt and additives.

youtu.be/049oqK9DWdU

#BabyFood #InfantNutrition #ToddlerHealth #UltraProcessedFoods #HealthyBabies

The Super Bowl Health Ads That Had Doctors Doing Double Takes We asked experts to weigh in on what these Super Bowl ads get right and wrong about our health.

#UltraProcessedFoods, #GLP1s, and #BloodTests: The #SuperBowlAds Go All in on #Health and #Longevity

www.menshealth.com/health/a7028...

Ultra-processed foods 'engineered' like cigarettes: study A new study has drawn parallels between the addictive qualities of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and tobacco products and called for similar levels of regulation.

#Ultraprocessedfoods 'engineered' like #cigarettes: study

www.dw.com/en/ultra-pro...

Your 'food' is engineered like cigarettes. Study confirms ~14% 'addiction' to UPFs. Industry learned from Big Tobacco's playbook: target bliss points, suppress real science. Same profit motive, different poison. #UltraProcessedFoods #BigFood

Read more: https://piaz.news/article/your-daily-bread-eng