Atrás The regular consumption of more than four portions of industrially processed food could harm your health

The regular consumption of more than four portions of industrially processed food could harm your health

  • The degree of certainty of the current studies is low, so new studies are likely to provide substantially different results

  • The consumption of these foods has grown in recent decades and already represents 25-60% of the energy intake of the diet in Europe and America.

05.03.2020

Imatge inicial

The evaluation of industrially processed food carried out by Nutrimedia, a project of the Science Communication Observatory and the Cochrane Iberoamerican Center, directed by Gonzalo Casino, professor at the Department of Communication at UPF, concludes that the regular consumption of industrially processed food might harm the health. Specifically, the regular consumption of more than four compared to consuming less than two servings of industrially processed food a day could increase the risk of death due to any cause.

The degree of certainty of the results of research currently available is low, which means that it is still not possible confidently to answer the question of whether industrially processed food is harmful or not. In the future, if new better quality studies were carried out, it is likely that the results would be substantially different.

The consumption of this food has increased in recent decades and now accounts for 25-60% of dietary energy intake in Europe and America

So-called industrially processed food, which contains a large number of ingredients and few or no natural foods, has a prominent role in the diet of many countries. The variety and affordability of these products and their consumption have increased dramatically worldwide in recent decades. In Europe and America, they account for 25-60% of energy intake in the diet.

In recent years, news claiming they are detrimental to health has proliferated. Industrially processed food is believed to be responsible for some chronic diseases, ranging from obesity and type 2 diabetes to certain types of cancer. In addition to this are countless opinions and recommendations by experts and influencers inviting us to reduce or quit their consumption altogether.

However, the message that the regular consumption of industrially processed food harms health is spread more or less rigorously and in a nuanced fashion in the media and social networks. The evaluation by Nutrimedia aims to clarify the scientific basis of the message that industrially processed food harms health and the extent to which it is true.

Increased risk of death by any cause

The results of available observational studies show that the regular consumption of industrially processed food (more than four servings) is associated with an increased risk of death by any cause. Besides, for each additional daily serving the risk increases by 18%. Other observational studies have associated the consumption of industrially processed food with cardiovascular disease, cancer, metabolic syndrome, obesity, type 2 diabetes and depression.

These results are consistent with the two recent systematic reviews that have evaluated the effect of two industrially processed foods (processed meat and sugary drinks) on mortality due to all causes, according to the Nutrimedia evaluation.

The degree of certainty of current studies is low, and so it is likely that new studies will provide substantially different results

However, the degree of certainty of the results of research on the effect of consuming industrially processed food on death due to any cause is low, since the studies conducted are observational. In the case of cardiovascular mortality or cancer, the degree of certainty is very low because the studies are observational and also because the results are imprecise. Thus, there is a need for more, better studies to ascertain the influence of industrially processed food on health.

Meanwhile, and until further studies can be carried out, the guidelines for the Spanish population published by the Spanish Society of Community Nutrition (SENC) categorizes the consumption of industrially processed food is optional; and it points out that, if consumed, intake should be occasional and in limited amounts. The Public Health Agency of Catalonia recommends reducing insofar as possible the intake of industrially processed food and choosing, whenever possible, natural or minimally processed food with as few ingredients as possible.

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