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A new study found that increased consumption of ultra-processed foods was linked to more than 10% of all premature, preventable deaths in Brazil in 2019. This is particularly alarming given that Brazilians consume far fewer of these products than high-income countries.
Eating ultra-processed foods, which contain little or no whole foods in their ingredients, contributed to 57,000 premature deaths in Brazil in 2019, investigators report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have gradually replaced traditional foods and dishes made from fresh and minimally processed ingredients in many countries. These ready-to-eat industrial formulations, made from ingredients extracted from food or synthesized in laboratories, are known to be unhealthy. A new research study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, found that increased consumption of these foods was linked to more than 10% of all premature, preventable deaths in Brazil in 2019. This is despite the fact that Brazilians consume far fewer of these products than high-income countries.
“Previous modeling studies have estimated the health and economic burden of critical ingredients such as sodium, sugar and trans fats, as well as specific foods or beverages such as sugar-sweetened beverages,” explained lead researcher Eduardo AF Nilson, ScD, Center for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health, University of São Paulo and Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazil. “To our knowledge, no study has assessed the potential impact of UPFs on premature death. Knowing the deaths associated with eating these foods and modeling how changes in dietary habits can support more effective nutritional policies could prevent disease and premature death.”
dr Nilson and his colleagues modeled data from nationally representative dietary surveys to estimate baseline intake of UPFs by gender and age group. Using data from 2019, statistical analysis was used to estimate the proportion of total deaths attributed to UPF use and the impact of reducing UPF use by 10%, 20%, and 50% in them age groups.
Across all age groups and gender groups, the consumption of UPFs was between 13% and 21% of the total food intake in Brazil in the period examined. In 2019, a total of 541,260 adults aged 30 to 69 died prematurely, 261,061 of them from preventable non-communicable diseases. The model found that approximately 57,000 deaths that year were attributed to the use of UPFs, accounting for 10.5% of all premature deaths and 21.8% of all deaths from preventable NCDs among adults aged 30 to 69-income countries such as the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, where UPFs account for more than half of total caloric intake, the estimated impact would be even greater.
dr Nilson noted that UPFs have steadily replaced consumption of traditional whole foods such as rice and beans in Brazil over time. Reducing consumption of UPFs and promoting healthier food choices may require multiple public health interventions and actions, such as:
A 10% to 50% reduction in UPF use could potentially prevent approximately 5,900 to 29,300 premature deaths in Brazil each year.
Examples of ultra-processed foods include frozen pizza, ready meals, hot dogs, sausage, prepackaged soups, sodas, ice cream, and store-bought cookies, candy, donuts, and cakes.
“UPF consumption is associated with many disease outcomes such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, some cancers and other diseases, and is a significant cause of preventable and premature death in Brazilian adults,” said Dr. Nilson. “Even reducing UPF use to levels of ten years ago would reduce associated premature deaths by 21%. A policy that discourages the use of UPFs is urgently needed.”
A tool to estimate deaths attributed to the consumption of UPFs can help countries assess the burden of dietary changes associated with industrial food processing and design more effective dietary policy options to promote a healthier food environment.
Examples of UPFs include prepackaged soups, sauces, ready meals, frozen pizza, sodas, ice cream, hot dogs, sausage, and store-bought cookies, candy, cakes, and donuts.
Reference: “Premature deaths attributed to ultra-processed food consumption in Brazil” by Eduardo AF Nilson, ScD; Gerson Ferrari, PhD; Maria Laura C Louzada, PhD; Renata B Levy, PhD; Carlos A. Monteiro, PhD and Leandro FM Rezende, ScD, November 7, 2022, American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
DOI: 10.1016/j.amepre.2022.08.013
