New Delhi: Traditional foods and meals made from fresh and minimally processed components are gradually being replaced by ultra-processed foods (UPFs), ready-to-eat or heat industrial formulations made from food ingredients or in laboratories. Synthesized, revealed by recent research.
The study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, found that increased consumption of these foods was associated with more than 10% of all premature deaths in Brazil in 2019, although Brazilians consume a lot of these products. consume less. compared to high-income countries.
“Previous modeling studies have estimated the health and economic burden of important ingredients, such as sodium, sugar and trans fats, and specific foods or drinks, such as sugar-sweetened beverages,” said principal investigator Eduardo AF Nilsson, ScD, The Center for Epidemiologicals explained. Research in Nutrition and Health, University of So Paulo, and Osvaldo Cruz Foundation, Brazil.
“To our knowledge, no study to date has estimated the potential impact of UPF on premature deaths. Knowing and modeling the deaths due to consumption of these foods is how dietary patterns change.” can support more effective food policies, prevent disease and premature deaths.”
Dr. Nilsson and colleagues prepared data from nationally representative dietary surveys to estimate baseline intake of UPF by gender and age-group. Statistical analyzes were used to estimate the proportion of total deaths that were attributable to UPF consumption and the effects of reducing UPF intake by 10%, 20% and 50% within those age groups, as of 2019. using data.
In all age groups and gender classes, UPF consumption ranged from 13% to 21% of total food intake in Brazil during the study period. A total of 541,260 adults aged 30 to 69 years died prematurely in 2019, of which 261,061 were from preventable, non-communicable diseases. The model found that about 57,000 deaths that year could be attributed to the consumption of UPF, accounting for 10.5% of all premature deaths and from preventable non-communicable diseases in adults aged 30 to 69. It accounted for 21.8% of all deaths. The investigators suggested that in high-income countries such as the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia, where UPF accounts for more than half of total caloric intake, the projected impact would be even greater.
Dr. Nilsson said the UPF has steadily replaced the consumption of traditional whole foods, such as rice and beans, over time in Brazil. Reducing UPF consumption and promoting healthier food choices may require a number of interventions and public health measures, such as fiscal and regulatory policies, changing the food environment, strengthening the implementation of food-based dietary guidelines and consumers. Improving knowledge, attitude and behaviour. Reducing UPF consumption by 10% to 50% could prevent about 5,900 to 29,300 premature deaths each year in Brazil.
“UPF consumption is associated with a number of disease outcomes, such as obesity, heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers and other diseases, and represents an important cause of preventable and premature deaths among Brazilian adults,” said Dr. Nilsson said. “Even reducing the consumption of UPF to the level just a decade ago will reduce premature deaths by 21%. There is an urgent need for policies discouraging the consumption of UPF.”
Having a tool to estimate deaths due to UPF consumption can help countries estimate the burden of dietary change related to the industrial processing of food and create more effective food policy choices to promote healthy food environments. can be found.
Examples of UPF are prepackaged soups, sauces, frozen pizza, ready-to-eat meals, hot dogs, sausages, sodas, ice cream and store-bought cookies, cakes, candy and donuts.
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