Ultra-Processed Foods Tied to Health Risks Across Organs
Source: hsph.harvard.edu Key Points: Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) harm every major organ and raise risks of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and early death. UPFs now make up over half of diets in the US and UK, with heavy marketing driving consumption. Experts urge stricter labeling, marketing limits, and policies to reduce UPF intake, similar to early tobacco control. Ultra-processed foods are linked to harm in every major organ system of the human body, according to the world’s largest scientific review published on Nov. 18. The findings, released through a series of papers in The Lancet, warn that rising consumption of ultra-processed foods poses a significant threat to global health and wellbeing. The review concludes that ultra-processed foods, or UPFs, are steadily replacing fresh and minimally processed foods in diets worldwide. Researchers said the trend is associated with higher risks of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, depression, and early death. Evidence from the ...