Foods that increase risk of premature death named

Highly processed foods increase the risk of early death. Researchers at the University of Sao Paulo found that about 57,000 premature deaths of people aged 30-70 in Brazil in 2019 were linked to the consumption of highly processed foods.

This represents more than 10 percent of annual premature deaths in the country, according to an article published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Such foods contribute to cardiovascular disease, a major contributor to these premature deaths.

Diabetes, cancer, obesity and chronic kidney disease may also play a role in this process. Foods that have been "ultra-processed" contain more artificial additives. Instant noodles, hot dogs, bread, cakes, ham, frozen pizza, sodas and cookies usually fall into this category, the scientists explained.

In the study, the scientists analyzed another scientific paper on the same topic. It compared the relative mortality risk of people who ate large amounts of processed food with those who ate relatively little.

The authors applied the model to the Brazilian population and the level of consumption of highly processed foods. From this, they estimated the number of premature deaths that could have been prevented if people ate less such food. They estimated that about a quarter of Brazilians get up to 50% of their daily caloric intake from highly processed foods. If all adults in Brazil reduced this rate to 23%, the country could have about 20,000 fewer premature deaths per year.

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