High Ultra-Processed Food Diets Linked to 47 Percent Higher Cardiovascular Disease Risk

This study adds to the growing concerns about modern diets being dominated by industrially modified products such as sugary drinks, packaged snacks, and processed meats, which now account for nearly 60 percent of adults’ and 70 percent of children’s diets in the United States. While earlier research linked such foods to obesity, metabolic syndrome, and inflammation, evidence directly connecting them to heart attacks and strokes has thus far been limited.

The researchers analyzed data from 4,787 adults participating in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2021 and 2023. Participants reported detailed dietary intake over two days, allowing investigators to calculate the proportion of calories derived from ultra-processed foods and group individuals into intake categories. After adjusting for age, sex, smoking, income, and other factors, those with the highest intake of these foods had a 47 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared with those with the lowest intake.

The study authors argue that their findings have important implications for clinical care and public health policy, likening today’s rising awareness of ultra-processed food harms to the gradual recognition of tobacco’s dangers in the 20^th century. While randomized trials are still needed, the researchers say clinicians should already be advising patients to cut back on ultra-processed foods as part of broader lifestyle and preventive strategies, with potential benefits extending beyond heart disease to conditions such as colorectal cancer.

To learn more about the dangers of ultra-processed foods, see this article on our website.