There has long been debate over whether ultraprocessed foods are harmful solely because of their ingredients or whether the processing itself contributes to poor health. A new study lends support to the latter view.
The findings, published in the American Journal of Public Health, come from researchers at Tufts University and found that eating more ultra-processed foods raises the risk of serious illness and early death—even after accounting for salt, sugar, and saturated fat content.
For every 10 percent increase in ultra-processed food consumption, there was a 7 percent higher risk of metabolic syndrome, a 3 percent higher likelihood of diabetes, a 5 percent higher risk of cancer, and a 4 percent higher risk of death from any cause.
The study drew on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey collected between 1999 and 2018—a large, long-running federal dataset that tracks Americans’ eating habits and health outcomes.
The findings suggest that factors beyond nutrients—such as changes to food structure, loss of beneficial compounds, additives, and chemicals from packaging—may contribute to health risks.
The breakdown of natural food structures from processing, the reduction of beneficial nutrients like fiber, polyphenols, and other bioactive compounds, can all contribute to harmful effects.
Study author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, pointed out that processing also enhances taste, encouraging faster eating and overeating, along with introducing industrial ingredients, additives, chemical byproducts such as acrylamide and heterocyclic amines (both linked to cancer), and contaminants from packaging.
He told The Epoch Times that the evidence suggests several interconnected harmful mechanisms.
“Although further research is necessary to understand how these factors interact,” Mozaffarian said, “it’s evident that no single mechanism fully explains the negative health effects.”
The Problem With Processing
Ultra-processed foods, a category that includes packaged breads, soda, sweetened cereals, chips, and ready-made meals, are defined not just by their ingredients but by how they are made.
Industrial techniques can break down the cellular structure of foods, strip away fiber and beneficial chemical compounds and vitamins that support health, while introducing additives rarely found in home cooking, including chemical preservatives, hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial colors and flavors.
“Think of ultra-processed foods as foods that are several steps removed from their original ingredients,” Lindsay Malone, a registered dietitian and instructor in the Department of Nutrition at the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, who was not involved in the study, told The Epoch Times. “They often rely on refined ingredients and a variety of additives to improve flavor, texture, appearance, and shelf life.”
That structural transformation may matter more than previously understood. When processing breaks down a food’s cellular architecture, the body absorbs it differently—faster, with less satiety, and with fewer nutrients intact.
The removal of fiber disrupts the intestinal mucosal barrier, potentially allowing bacteria into the bloodstream and triggering inflammation, Diana Cusa, a clinical dietitian at Plainview Hospital in New York, who was not involved in the study, told The Epoch Times. Synthetic emulsifiers and additives, she said, compound that effect.
The study suggests processing itself may be harmful beyond nutrient content, Cusa noted.
Health risks remained even after accounting for the nutritional quality of the foods, including saturated fat, added sugar, and sodium.
Simple Swaps to Reduce Ultra-Processed Foods
Cusa offered helpful advice for people seeking healthier alternatives or substitutes for common ultra-processed foods in everyday diets.
She advises shopping around the perimeter of the grocery store, because ultra-processed foods are usually located in the middle aisles.
“Read the food labels,” she added. “Try to choose foods with less than five ingredients that are recognizable and pronounceable.”
Specifically, Cusa said to:
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Swap chips for air-popped popcorn or raw nuts.
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Swap soda for water or unsweetened tea.
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Swap deli meats for chicken or turkey that you bake or roast yourself and slice.
She also suggests replacing prepackaged salad dressings with homemade ones made from olive oil, vinegar, fresh lemon juice, and dried spices. Choose plain yogurt instead of flavored yogurt, and add fresh fruit yourself.
Finally, she recommends avoiding boxed cereal and buying plain rolled oats instead.
Malone added that single-ingredient foods provide fiber, vitamins, minerals, and “thousands of phytonutrients that work together in ways we are still learning to understand.”
Ultra-processed foods now account for roughly 60 percent of children’s daily calories in the United States, a figure that researchers say makes the findings particularly important for long-term public health.
