Findings seen across major chronic conditions, such as hypertension, cardiovascular events, cancer, and metabolic disorders
TUESDAY, Sept. 29, 2026 (HealthDay News) — Eating more ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) is associated with higher risks for multiple chronic diseases and all-cause mortality, according to a study published online Sept. 22 in Family Medicine and Community Health.
Xiao Liu, M.D., Ph.D., from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature search to identify prospective studies evaluating consumption of UPFs and the impact on major chronic outcomes.
Based on 51 studies (8.8 million adults), the researchers found that consumption of UPFs was associated with cardiovascular events (hazard ratio [HR], 1.24), cancer (HR, 1.12), obesity or overweight (HR, 1.23), metabolic syndrome (MetS) or diabetes (HR, 1.24), depression or anxiety (HR, 1.27), digestive diseases (HR, 1.31), and all-cause mortality (HR, 1.18). There was a dose-response relationship, with each additional 100 g/day of UPF associated with higher risks for hypertension (HR, 1.11), cardiovascular events (HR, 1.14), cancer (HR, 1.04), all-cause mortality (HR, 1.03), and MetS or diabetes (HR, 1.02).
“Given that UPF-related chronic diseases often cluster as multimorbidity, reducing consumption of UPFs and replacing them with minimally processed alternatives may be relevant for chronic disease prevention and primary care management,” the authors write.
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