American Heart Association: Ultraprocessed foods increase risk of stroke, diabetes, premature death

Hot dogs, buns, baked beans, and potato chips are just a few examples of ultraprocessed foods that are a staple of the American diet.

On Friday (Aug. 8), the American Heart Association released its long-awaited scientific advisory on ultraprocessed foods.

The key message? Most are detrimental to our health, and it’s time for stricter regulation and healthier alternatives.

“One of the reasons most of the UPF foods are unhealthy is they actually fall into the categories that health professionals have been concerned about forever,” said Vice Chair, American Heart Association Writing Group Christopher Gardner, PH.D.

Gardner is one of the authors of the new scientific advisory, published in the journal “Circulation.”

It finds that the more ultraprocessed foods people eat, the higher their risk of heart attacks, stroke, type 2 diabetes, obesity, and premature death.

“Most of them are actually high in saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium, and most of them are low in the nutrients that we wish Americans get more of, more fiber, more vitamins, more minerals,” Gardner said.

Many ultraprocessed foods also contain additives that may be linked to other health issues.

However, the American Heart Association states that a small number of select ultraprocessed foods can be part of a healthy diet.

“Think about a salad dressing that might have some of these emulsifiers in them. Emulsifiers are one of the categories that make something ultra-processed, but what do you use a salad dressing for? You put it on a salad so people aren’t drinking salad dressing. Hopefully they’re making a salad and they’re more likely to eat it if it’s not just raw vegetables, if it’s got some dressing on it,” Gardner said.

Other examples include whole-grain breads, pasta sauce, low-sugar yogurt, and some plant-based items.

“There’s a few things that are at least reasonably healthy, so it’s a little silly to say, let’s cut every single one of them out because it’s 60% of the american diet, is ultra-processed foods, and we actually don’t have replacements for them all at this point that are reasonably priced and healthier,” Gardner said.

Reducing the consumption of ultraprocessed foods is also a priority in the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

His department is expected to release a report this month, outlining proposed policy changes regarding ultraprocessed foods.

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