A new French study published on February 11, 2019, in the American journal "JAMA International Medicine" (JAMA = Journal of the American Medical Association), establishes a clear link between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and mortality. This study was conducted on over 44,000 people over the age of 45 by analyzing their eating habits over several years.

Ultra-processed foods ?

We call "ultra-processed foods" foods that have undergone several industrial modifications in order to increase their shelf life, make them inexpensive, easy to use, consume, reheat, or simply taste appealing, thus creating an "addiction". During these transformations, foods are embellished with additives (emulsifiers, texturizers, colorants, flavor enhancers ...), sugar, salt, bad fats, ... All the processing used make foods poor in nutrients, vitamins and fiber.

When we talk about ultra-processed foods, we are talking about sodas, snacks, confectionery, industrial cookies, reconstituted meat and fish, margarine, packaged breads, breakfast cereals, ready meals, ...

To learn about the dangers of consuming additives, I recommend reading the book by Corinne Gouget"Food Additives. Danger."

Consumption and risks

The study shows that a 10% increase in consumption of this type of food increases mortality by 15%. This is because the consumption of ultra-processed foods generally leads to a higher BMI (body mass index) as well as an increase in related risks such as hypertension, cardiovascular disease, overweight, and obesity.

Regular consumption of this type of food also leads to an increased risk of developing certain cancers, type 2 diabetes, as well as fat metabolism disorders.

At present there are still too few studies on the subject but we advise you to consume as much raw food as possible or to buy foods that are as natural as possible and process them by yourself before eating them, this in order to reduce the addition of additives known to be harmful to health and preserve essential nutrients.

Why consume such foods?

Consumption of ultra-processed foods is often related to a lack of time. Indeed, our schedule does not always allow us to prepare all our meals ourselves on a daily basis. To mitigate this, you should know that solutions exist. We expose one of them in our article on the Meal Prep or the art of preparing meals in advance.

Another reason why these foods are consumed is lack of knowledge. Indeed, the industrial companies manufacturing these products, sell them to us as super foods "essential" to our diet. They are enriched in ..., low in ... and have very attractive packaging, so we instinctively go for these products, thinking we are doing the right thing. But this is only marketing, we do not "need" these products to be healthy, on the contrary. This information misleads us and takes us away from the basics, which are to eat fruits and vegetables, as well as quality proteins and whole grains.

Focus on health risks

We cited above thehealth risks caused by this type of food. We will now detail them.

• Ultra-processed foods are not very filling because they are rich in sugars and fat and low in protein and fiber, which bring satiety. We therefore tend to eat larger quantities, which has an impact on overweight and obesity.

• They are generally hyperglycemic by the quality of sugars used, yet this tends to tire our body, leading in some people to type 2 diabetes and in most cases overweight or obesity.

• These products are often rrich in "empty" calories, meaning they are high in calories but low in essential nutrients. The body does not find the necessary resources to ensure our immunity and the proper functioning of our body.

• Due to the presence of saturated fats and sugars with high glycemic index, these foods lead to cardiovascular health risks: high cholesterol, high blood pressure, ...

In conclusion, we should not be alarmist but vigilance is required. It is not by occasionally consuming these types of products that you will increase your risk of mortality by 15% but it is important not to consume ultra-processed foods too regularly, at the risk of developing certain diseases or pathologies that decrease your life expectancy.