TOPICS: CINCINNATI (WKRC) - A new study found that ultra-processed foods likely contributed to nearly 125,000 preventable deaths in the span of just two years.
The study , published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine , used risk models to analyze deaths in the United States between 2017 and 2018 to see how many "preventable deaths" could be linked to the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs). The researchers found that in the U.S. alone there were over 124,000 deaths that could be linked to UPFs, but the problem isn't just an American one.
The study found that low and middle income nations were struggling with UPFs at an increasing rate, with 25,000 preventable deaths liked to the products between 2017 and 2018 in Brazil.
UPFs can come in many shapes and sizes - like sodas, snacks, cereals, fast food, and TV dinners - and often provide convenience at the cost of high association with disease and obesity.
The UPF-related deaths make up a significant portion of preventable deaths in countries that consume the most (14% in the United States and Britain), while those that didn't consume as much still had an average of 4% of unrelated deaths related to UPFs.
The issue isn't just in the fact that people don't realize UPFs are dangerous, the study's lead author argued, but also that UPFs are by far more affordable for lower income households, leaving few choices when it comes to buying healthy groceries.