
Ultraprocessed foods, or UPFs, are now a major part of what many people eat every day.
These are foods that go through a lot of industrial processing and often have many added ingredients like preservatives, artificial flavors, and colors.
They are common in grocery stores and include things like sugary drinks, packaged snacks, sweetened breakfast cereals, processed meats, candy, and fast food. Many of these foods are high in saturated fat, added sugars, and salt.
This combination, often called HFSS (high fat, sugar, and salt), can cause serious health problems if eaten too often, including heart disease, stroke, obesity, diabetes, and inflammation in the body.
A new Science Advisory from the American Heart Association has looked closely at what we know about UPFs and their effect on health. Researchers say that eating too many UPFs is linked to a higher risk of heart problems, chronic illnesses, and even early death.
The concern is not just about their poor nutritional value but also about the possibility that certain additives or the way these foods are processed may be harmful on their own.
Since the 1990s, UPF consumption has grown rapidly, replacing more traditional, less processed diets. In the U.S., it is estimated that 70% of all grocery store products contain at least one ultraprocessed ingredient. A recent report found that more than half of all calories eaten by Americans come from UPFs.
For young people aged 1–18, the percentage is even higher, close to 62%. People with lower incomes tend to eat more of these foods, partly because they are cheaper, widely available, and heavily advertised, especially to children and communities with fewer resources.
Not all UPFs are equally bad. Some foods, such as certain whole-grain breads, low-fat and low-sugar dairy products, or plant-based items, may be ultraprocessed but still have good nutritional value.
This can make things confusing for both the public and healthcare providers, because not all UPFs are ‘junk food.’ However, the main problem is that the majority of UPFs are low in nutrients and high in HFSS, which does not match the American Heart Association’s recommendations for a healthy diet.
The Nova classification system is one way scientists categorize foods based on how much industrial processing they go through. It doesn’t judge foods by their nutrition content but instead by the extent and purpose of processing.
While some processing is helpful — such as making food safer, lasting longer, and reducing waste — other forms of processing add unnecessary ingredients and can change how the food affects our health.
Studies show that the more UPFs a person eats, the greater the risk of serious conditions. A large analysis found that people who eat the most UPFs have a 25% to 58% higher risk of heart problems, diabetes, obesity, and a higher risk of dying early compared to those who eat the least.
Researchers also believe that certain combinations of additives and flavors in UPFs might trigger the brain’s reward system in ways that encourage overeating, leading to weight gain.
Experts recommend cutting back on foods high in saturated fat, added sugar, and salt, and replacing them with vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, nuts, seeds, lean proteins, and low-fat dairy. Policies like better food labeling, stronger regulation of food additives, and public education campaigns could also help people make better choices.
The Science Advisory makes it clear that UPFs are not all created equal, but the majority available in the U.S. are harmful when eaten often. The big challenge is that UPFs are cheap, convenient, and widely marketed, which makes them hard to avoid.
While some processing is harmless or even helpful, the combination of high fat, sugar, and salt in many UPFs — along with possible negative effects from additives — poses a real health risk.
The science still needs to answer whether it’s the processing itself or the ingredients that do the most damage, but until then, the safest path is to limit these foods as much as possible and choose fresh, minimally processed options instead.
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The study is published in Circulation.
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