Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with increased risks of adverse health outcomes, including higher mortality rates, cardiometabolic problems, and mental health disorders like anxiety and depression.
These negative effects stem from poor nutritional quality and the harmful physical and chemical changes caused by industrial processing methods and additives.
Ultra-processed foods encompass a broad range of ready-to-eat products, including
These products are characterized as industrial formulations primarily composed of:
The shift from unprocessed and minimally processed foods to ultra-processed foods and their subsequent increasing contribution to global dietary patterns in recent years have been attributed to key drivers, including:
Key characteristics of ultra-processed foods include:
These properties may pose synergistic or compounded consequences for chronic inflammatory diseases and may act through known or plausible physiological mechanisms, including changes to the gut microbiome and increased inflammation.
A 2025 umbrella review of 45 distinct pooled analyses, encompassing a total population of 9,888 373 participants and spanning seven health parameters related to mortality, cancer, and mental, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic health outcomes regarding ultra-processed food exposure confirms the following:
Overall, direct associations were found between exposure to ultra-processed foods and 32 health parameters spanning mortality, cancer, and mental, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic health outcomes.
Credibility and GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation) ratings for associations between greater exposure to ultra-processed foods and risks of each adverse health outcome
Convincing evidence (class I) supported direct associations between greater ultra-processed food exposure and higher risks of incident cardiovascular disease-related mortality and type 2 diabetes, as well as higher risks of prevalent anxiety outcomes and combined common mental disorder outcomes.
Highly suggestive (class II) evidence indicated that greater exposure to ultra-processed foods was directly associated with higher risks of incident all-cause mortality, heart disease-related mortality, type 2 diabetes, and depressive outcomes, together with higher risks of prevalent adverse sleep-related outcomes, wheezing, and obesity.
Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially mortality outcomes, cardiometabolic dysfunction, and common mental disorders, including anxiety, depression, and disordered sleep.
The adverse health outcomes associated with ultra-processed foods may not be fully explained by their nutrient composition and energy density alone but by physical and chemical properties associated with industrial processing methods, ingredients, and by-products.
Lane, Melissa M et al. “Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses.” BMJ (Clinical research ed.) vol. 384 e077310. 28 Feb. 2024, doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-077310 This is an Open Access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.