Ultraprocessed food consumption a 'significant cause of premature death'

Limiting ultraprocessed food consumption could prevent thousands of deaths in Brazil each year, according to researchers.

Ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), including frozen pizza, ready-to-eat meals, ice cream, store-bought cookies and more, have been previously linked to increased risks for noncommunicable diseases like cancer, CVD and diabetes, according to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. They are a very common part of diets, making up at least half of the total dietary energy consumed in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia.

Although other modeling studies have looked at the health and economic burden of ingredients like sugar, trans fats, sodium and specific foods or drinks like sugar-sweetened beverages, Eduardo A.F. Nilson, ScD, of the center for epidemiological research in nutrition and health at the University of São Paulo and the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation in Brazil, said in a press release that, “to our knowledge, no study to date has estimated the potential impact of UPFs on premature deaths.”

“Knowing the deaths attributable to the consumption of these foods and modeling how changes in dietary patterns can support more effective food policies might prevent disease and premature deaths,” he said in the release.

To understand how UPFs might affect mortality, Nilson and colleagues used modeling data from dietary surveys to estimate baseline intake of UPFs by sex and age. They then used statistical analyses to approximate the proportion of deaths attributable to UPF consumption and how reducing UPF intake could affect outcomes.

Of the 541,260 premature deaths in Brazil in 2019, Nilson and colleagues estimated that 57,000, or 10.5%, could be attributed to UPF consumption.

Notably, Brazilian household food acquisition surveys showed that UPFs made up about 20% of peoples’ diets, compared with 50% in some high-income countries.

The researchers found that reducing intake by anywhere from 10% to 50% might prevent up to 29,300 premature deaths in Brazil each year — between 5,900 deaths (95% uncertainty interval, 2,910-10,613) to 29,300 deaths (95% uncertainty interval, 16,514-44,226).

UPF intake “represents a significant cause of premature death in Brazil,” Nilson and colleagues concluded, adding that reducing UPF consumption “would promote substantial health gains for the population and should be a food policy priority to reduce premature mortality.”

“Consumption of UPFs is associated with many disease outcomes, such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers, and other diseases, and it represents a significant cause of preventable and premature deaths among Brazilian adults,” Nilson said in the release. “Even reducing consumption of UPFs to the levels of just a decade ago would reduce associated premature deaths by 21%. Policies that disincentivize the consumption of UPFs are urgently needed.”

References:

• Nilson EAF, et al. Am J Prev Med. 2022;doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2022.08.013.
• Ultraprocessed foods linked to premature deaths. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/970082. Published Nov. 7, 2022. Accessed Nov. 16, 2022.