JUNK food is linked to over 30 illnesses and can increase your risk of early death, research claims.
Australian scientists found ultra-processed foods (UPF) like ready meals and fizzy drinks have been linked to cancer, heart problems, type 2 diabetes and anxiety.
GettyScientists are calling for more public health measures to stop people from scoffing so many unhealthy snacks[/caption]
Dr Charlotte Gupta, of Central Queensland University in Australia, said: “We know these foods aren’t considered ‘healthy’, but this sheds new light on how damaging they can be.”
Other UPFs include sausages, crisps, breakfast cereals, sweets and chocolate.
Study authors from Deakin University are now calling for more public health measures to stop people from scoffing so many unhealthy snacks.
Their research involved analysing the health data and diets of almost 10 million people from 14 separate studies.
The team found that the chances of dying from heart disease shot up by 50 per cent among people who ate lots of unhealthy foods.
The risk of developing type 2 diabetes also rose 12 per cent alongside higher junk food quantities, researchers wrote in the British Medical Journal (BMJ).
The likelihood of developing anxiety was up to 53 per cent higher in the people who ate the most UPFs.
They also found evidence to suggest junk foods can increase the risk of depression, sleep issues, asthma, Crohn’s disease and certain cancers.
Ultra-processed foods are high in sugar, salt and saturated fat content but low in fibre and vitamins.
Lead author Dr Melissa Lane said: “These findings support urgent mechanistic research and public health actions that seek to target and minimise ultra-processed food consumption for improved population health.”
Prof Amelia Lake, from Teesside University, added: “This is important [research] and is going to help shape future research and policy direction around ultra-processed foods and our population health.”
Full list of 32 health dangers lurking in your favourite foods
Research has tied ultraprocessed food consumption to a slew of health conditions.
This is because they often contain high levels of saturated fat, salt and sugar and when we eat them, we leave less room in our diets for more nutritious foods.
It’s also been suggested that the additives in these foods could be responsible for negative health effects.
Some of the health risks include:
All-cause death
Cancer-related death
Cardiovascular disease-related death
Heart disease-related death
Breast cancer
Cancer (overall)
Central nervous system tumours
Leukaemia
Colorectal cancer
Panceratic cancer
Prostate cancer
Sleep issues
Anxiety
Depression
Other mental health conditions
Asthma
Wheezing
Cardiovascular disease events ie, heart attack, heart failure
Cardiovascular disease death
Hypertension
Hypertriglyceridemia
Low HDL cholesterol
Crohn’s disease
Ulcerative colitis
Obesity
Hyperglycemia
Metabolic syndrome
Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Obesity
Being overweight
Being overweight & obese
Type 2 diabetes
Source: BMJ
Another study found drinking one glass of Coke a day could boost your chances of deadly kidney disease by a fifth.
The authors, from Yonsei University in South Korea, suggested people switch to fruit juices instead.
Meanwhile, scientists from Liverpool University found that putting calories on restaurant menus may stop 730 early deaths between 2022 and 2041.
In April 2022, the government forced all large restaurants and takeaways to slap food-calorie labels to stop Brits from getting fat.
The 7 common ultra-processed foods ‘not linked to cancer or diabetes’
WE all eat ultra-processed foods on a daily basis.
These are any foods that you wouldn’t be able to recreate in your own kitchen.
If you don’t recognise some of the ingredients on the label, it’s likely to be an ultra-processed food.
For years, medics have been calling for these foods to be slashed from our diets as they were believed to increase your risk of several diseases.
But several UPFs can actually reduce someone’s risk because they contain fibre, researchers said paper published in the Lancet.
Eating plenty of fibre can cut the risk of several deadly conditions including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and bowel cancer, separate studies have found.
The NHS advise we eat around 30g of fibre a day.
These foods are:
Ready meals
Plant-based substitutes
Savoury snacks (eg, crisps)
Sweets
Deserts
Bread
Cereal products