Ultra-processed foods linked to cardiovascular disease

Dr. Saverio Stranges, a public health physician and epidemiologist at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, co-authored a clinical consensus paper in the European Heart Journal on ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular health. The European Society of Cardiology brought together international experts to review the evidence and give clinicians practical guidance.

Stranges says large prospective studies link higher intake with greater risk of cardiovascular disease, hypertension, stroke, heart failure and diabetes. One study of more than 105,000 adults found that each 10 per cent increase in intake was associated with a 12 per cent higher cardiovascular risk. He cautions that diet is one factor alongside sleep, activity, genetics and age.

He does not call for avoiding all processed food, since some processing aids preservation and safety, but for less reliance on ultra-processed products. He notes that families with limited money may lean on them because they are cheaper and easier to get.

Stranges says primary care rarely raises the topic. He wants better food labelling, stronger nutrition education and policies that make healthier foods easier to choose.