{"id":12321,"date":"2024-05-18T20:00:39","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T17:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=12321"},"modified":"2024-05-18T20:00:39","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T17:00:39","slug":"not-all-ultra-processed-foods-are-bad-for-your-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/?p=12321","title":{"rendered":"Not all ultra-processed, \u00a0foods are bad for your health"},"content":{"rendered":"
Whatever you might have heard<\/h5>\n

By Gary Sacks<\/p>\n

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\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

In recent years, there\u2019s been increasing hype about the potential health risks associated with so-called \u201cultra-processed\u201d\u00a0foods.
\nBut new evidence published this week found not all \u201cultra-processed\u201d\u00a0foods are linked to poor health. That includes the mass-produced wholegrain bread you buy from the supermarket.
\nWhile this newly published research and associated editorial are unlikely to end the wrangling about how best to define unhealthy\u00a0foods and diets, it\u2019s critical those debates don\u2019t delay the implementation of policies that are likely to actually improve our diets.
\nUltra-processed\u00a0foods are industrially produced using a variety of processing techniques. They typically include ingredients that can\u2019t be found in a home kitchen, such as preservatives, emulsifiers, sweeteners and\/or artificial colours.
\nCommon examples of ultra-processed\u00a0foods include packaged chips, flavoured yoghurts, soft drinks, sausages and mass-produced packaged wholegrain bread.
\nIn many other countries, ultra-processed\u00a0foods make up a large proportion of what people eat. A recent study estimated they make up an average of 42 per cent of total energy intake in Australia.
\nPrevious studies have linked increased consumption of ultra-processed\u00a0food\u00a0with poorer health. High consumption of ultra-processed\u00a0food, for example, has been associated with a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, and death from heart disease and stroke.
\nUltra-processed\u00a0foods are typically high in energy, added sugars, salt and\/or unhealthy fats. These have long been recognised as risk factors for a range of diseases.
\nIt has also been suggested that structural changes that happen to ultra-processed\u00a0foods as part of the manufacturing process may lead you to eat more than you should. Potential explanations are that, due to the way they\u2019re made, the\u00a0foods are quicker to eat and more palatable.
\nIt\u2019s also possible certain\u00a0food\u00a0additives may impair normal body functions, such as the way our cells reproduce.
\nThe new paper just published used 30 years of data from two large US cohort studies to evaluate the relationship between ultra-processed\u00a0food\u00a0consumption and long-term health. The study tried to disentangle the effects of the manufacturing process itself from the nutrient profile of\u00a0foods.
\nThe study found a small increase in the risk of early death with higher ultra-processed\u00a0food\u00a0consumption.
\nBut importantly, the authors also looked at diet quality. They found that for people who had high quality diets (high in fruit, vegetables, wholegrains, as well as healthy fats, and low in sugary drinks, salt, and red and processed meat), there was no clear association between the amount of ultra-processed\u00a0food\u00a0they ate and risk of premature death.
\nThis suggests overall diet quality has a stronger influence on long-term health than ultra-processed\u00a0food\u00a0consumption.
\n\"recipesWhen the researchers analysed ultra-processed\u00a0foods by sub-category, mass-produced wholegrain products, such as supermarket wholegrain breads and wholegrain breakfast cereals, were not associated with poorer health.
\nThis finding matches another recent study that suggests ultra-processed wholegrain\u00a0foods are not a driver of poor health.
\nThe authors concluded, while there was some support for limiting consumption of certain types of ultra-processed\u00a0food\u00a0for long-term health, not all ultra-processed\u00a0food\u00a0products should be universally restricted.
\nExisting national dietary guidelines have been developed and refined based on decades of nutrition evidence.
\nMuch of the recent evidence related to ultra-processed\u00a0foods tells us what we already knew: that products like soft drinks, alcohol and processed meats are bad for health.
\nDietary guidelines generally already advise to eat mostly whole\u00a0foods and to limit consumption of highly processed\u00a0foods that are high in refined grains, saturated fat, sugar and salt.
\nBut some nutrition researchers have called for dietary guidelines to be amended to recommend avoiding ultra-processed\u00a0foods.
\nBased on the available evidence, it would be difficult to justify adding a sweeping statement about avoiding all ultra-processed\u00a0foods.
\nAdvice to avoid all ultra-processed\u00a0foods would likely unfairly impact people on low-incomes, as many ultra-processed\u00a0foods, such as supermarket breads, are relatively affordable and convenient.
\nWholegrain breads also provide important nutrients, such as fibre. In many countries, bread is the biggest contributor to fibre intake. So it would be problematic to recommend avoiding supermarket wholegrain bread just because it\u2019s ultra-processed.
\nThere is strong consensus on the need to implement evidence-based policies to improve population diets. This includes legislation to restrict children\u2019s exposure to the marketing of unhealthy\u00a0foods and brands, mandatory Health Star Rating nutrition labelling and taxes on sugary drinks.
\nThese policies are underpinned by well-established systems for classifying the healthiness of\u00a0foods. If new evidence unfolds about mechanisms by which ultra-processed\u00a0foods drive health harms, these classification systems can be updated to reflect such evidence. If specific additives are found to be harmful to health, for example, this evidence can be incorporated into existing nutrient profiling systems, such as the Health Star Rating\u00a0food\u00a0labelling scheme.
\nAccordingly, policymakers can confidently progress\u00a0food\u00a0policy implementation using the tools for classifying the healthiness of\u00a0foods that we already have.
\nUnhealthy diets and obesity are among the largest contributors to poor health. We can\u2019t let the hype and academic debate around \u201cultra-processed\u201d\u00a0foods delay implementation of globally recommended policies for improving population diets.
\nGary Sacks is a professor of Public Health Policy at Deakin University, Australia.\u00a0This article is republished from\u00a0The\u00a0Conversation\u00a0under a Creative Commons licence<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Fact: Mass-produced wholegrain products, such as supermarket wholegrain breads and wholegrain breakfast cereals, were not associated with poorer health in a recent 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