From packaged snacks and sugary drinks to processed meats, ready-to-eat meals and commercially made baked goods, ultra-processed foods have become increasingly common in modern diets. Convenience, long shelf life and aggressive marketing have made them a regular part of meals and snacks for many people. But growing evidence suggests that eating large amounts of these foods may have consequences beyond weight gain.

A new study published in the journal Family Medicine and Community Health has examined the relationship between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and several major chronic diseases. Researchers pooled evidence from 51 prospective cohort studies involving 8,819,894 adults from the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania. Participants were followed for periods ranging from two to 32 years. 

The analysis found that higher UPF consumption was associated with several health risks. Most notably, every additional 100 grams of ultra-processed food consumed per day was associated with a 14% higher risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke and cardiovascular death.

The finding does not mean that eating 100 grams of a particular packaged food will cause a heart attack. The study identified an association based largely on observational research. However, it adds to a growing body of evidence linking diets high in ultra-processed foods with poorer cardiovascular and metabolic health.

What did the new study find?

The researchers conducted a dose-response meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies published up to April 2026. The studies assessed UPF intake using methods including food-frequency questionnaires, 24-hour dietary recalls and dietary histories.

The participants were adults aged between 23 and 77 years on average, and follow-up periods ranged from two to 32 years. The researchers examined cardiovascular events as well as cancer, obesity or overweight, metabolic syndrome or diabetes, digestive diseases, depression or anxiety and death from any cause.

Compared with lower consumption, higher intake of ultra-processed foods was associated with a 24% higher risk of cardiovascular events. In the dose-response analysis, every additional 100g of UPFs consumed per day was associated with a 14% higher cardiovascular-event risk (HR 1.14, 95% CI 1.06-1.22).

The researchers also found that every additional 100g per day was associated with a 4% higher risk of cancer, 3% higher risk of death from any cause and 2% higher risk of metabolic syndrome or diabetes. The authors classified the overall evidence as low or moderate certainty, underscoring that the findings show associations rather than proof of causation.

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What counts as ultra-processed food?

Not every packaged or processed food is automatically an ultra-processed food.

The commonly used NOVA classification system categorises foods according to the nature, extent and purpose of industrial processing. UPFs generally include industrial formulations containing ingredients or additives that are not typically used in home kitchens.

Examples can include sugar-sweetened beverages, packaged cookies, confectionery, chips, instant or ready-to-eat products, some processed meats and commercially produced baked products.

Importantly, processing exists on a spectrum. Pasteurised milk, frozen vegetables, canned beans or whole-grain bread may undergo processing without necessarily carrying the same nutritional profile as highly formulated UPFs.

The American Heart Association notes that some UPFs can have nutritional value and that the issue is not simply whether a food has been processed, but its overall nutritional quality and place within the diet.

Why could too much UPF be bad for the heart?

One possible explanation is that many UPFs are high in salt, added sugars and saturated fat, while providing relatively little fibre and micronutrients. Regularly consuming such foods can make it easier to exceed energy requirements and may contribute to obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal blood lipids and impaired glucose regulation, all established cardiovascular risk factors.

There may also be mechanisms beyond traditional nutrition. Researchers are investigating whether certain additives, altered food structures, contaminants produced during high-temperature processing and changes to the gut microbiome could contribute to inflammation or metabolic dysfunction. However, these mechanisms remain an active area of research.

The important distinction is that scientists have not established that processing itself is responsible for all the observed risk. UPF consumption often occurs alongside broader dietary and lifestyle patterns that can be difficult to completely separate in observational studies.

Earlier research has also linked UPFs with cardiovascular disease

The new findings are broadly consistent with previous research.

A 2024 systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis involving 20 studies, more than 1.1 million participants and 58,201 cardiovascular events found a positive relationship between UPF consumption and cardiovascular-event risk. Each additional daily serving was associated with a 2.2% increase in cardiovascular-event risk.

A large 2019 French cohort study involving 105,159 adults also found that a 10-percentage-point increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet was associated with a 12% higher risk of overall cardiovascular disease.

More recent research has also suggested that the relationship may differ according to the type of UPF consumed. A 2024 analysis of three large US cohorts found stronger associations for some categories, including sugar- or artificially sweetened beverages and processed meats, while associations varied for other UPF groups.

Does this mean all packaged food should be avoided?

No. The evidence does not support treating every processed food as unhealthy.

The WHO's 2026 healthy-diet guidance recommends making minimally processed and unprocessed foods low in unhealthy fats, free sugars and sodium the foundation of a healthy diet. It also stresses dietary diversity, including vegetables, fruits, pulses, whole grains and appropriate protein sources.

The American Heart Association's 2026 dietary guidance similarly recommends choosing minimally processed foods instead of ultra-processed foods, while focusing on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, healthy protein sources and unsaturated fats.

For everyday eating, this can mean choosing dal, vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish or other protein sources more often, while reducing reliance on packaged foods that are particularly high in salt, added sugar or saturated fat.

Reading the nutrition label can also help. Among packaged foods, compare sodium, added sugars and saturated fat, rather than assuming that every product carrying a health-oriented claim is automatically nutritious.

Also Read: Sugar Or Salt: Which Is More Harmful For Your Heart? Doctor Explains

What does 100g of UPF actually mean?

The study's 100g figure is a research measurement, not a recommended daily limit or a threshold at which cardiovascular risk suddenly rises.

One hundred grams could represent very different foods because UPFs vary considerably in their water content, calorie density, ingredients and nutritional composition. Therefore, the study should not be interpreted as saying that consuming exactly 100g of a particular food causes a 14% increase in an individual's heart-attack risk.

The finding describes a relative association at the population level. An individual's cardiovascular risk also depends on age, blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, smoking, physical activity, genetics, overall diet and other factors.

The latest evidence adds to concerns about diets dominated by ultra-processed foods, but it does not mean that an occasional packaged snack will damage the heart. The more useful message is about overall dietary patterns. Regularly replacing minimally processed foods with highly formulated products may increase exposure to excess salt, added sugars, unhealthy fats and calories while displacing fibre-rich and nutrient-dense foods.

With cardiovascular disease remaining the leading cause of death globally, dietary quality is an important part of prevention. WHO estimates that cardiovascular diseases caused around 19.8 million deaths worldwide in 2022, with unhealthy diet among the major modifiable risk factors.

Rather than focusing on a single food or a precise gram limit, the evidence supports a simpler approach: make whole and minimally processed foods the foundation of everyday meals and keep ultra-processed foods, particularly those high in salt, sugar and unhealthy fats, to a smaller part of the diet.



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