Ultra-Processed Foods Raises Early Death Risk

By Adebowale Bello. B.Tech., Microbiology, Freelance Health Writer. Medically reviewed by A. Odutola, MB.BS, PhD.

Assorted junk foods. Credit.

Ultra-processed foods are everywhere. From brightly coloured breakfast cereals to instant noodles and soft drinks, these items line supermarket shelves and dominate television adverts.

They are cheap, convenient and often very tasty, yet an increasing number of studies warn that a diet packed with ultra-processed products can shorten our lives. One of such recent multinational studies has now shown in clear terms that the everyday foods many of us rely on may be stealing years from millions of people.

What are Ultra-Processed Foods?

Ultra-processed foods are industrial products made mostly or entirely from substances not commonly used in home cooking. They may include additives like flavour enhancers, colours, emulsifiers and preservatives. These foods often undergo multiple processing steps and are designed to be hyper-palatable, ready-to-eat and convenient.

Common examples include:

• Sugary soft drinks
• Energy drinks
• Flavoured instant noodles
• Packaged snacks like biscuits and crisps
• Reconstituted meat products like hot dogs and chicken nuggets
• Sweetened breakfast cereals
• Industrial breads with long shelf lives

Unlike traditional meals made with fresh or minimally processed ingredients, ultra-processed foods usually contain very little whole food. They're often high in added sugars, unhealthy fats and sodium, while being low in fibre, vitamins and minerals.

About the Study

Researchers from universities in the United States, Brazil and Europe teamed up to examine how much premature death could be linked to eating ultra-processed food (UPF). They focused on eight diverse countries: Brazil, Colombia, Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The team gathered large nationally representative nutrition surveys carried out between 2013 and 2018. Each survey recorded everything people ate over at least one full day.

Foods were sorted with the NOVA system, which groups items by how much industrial processing they undergo. Fresh maize on the cob is minimally processed and counts as unprocessed. On the other hand, cheese balls, made from maize flour plus flavourings and colours fall under ultra-processed.

Using this system the scientists calculated the percentage of each person’s daily calories that came from ultra-processed foods.

Next they turned to long-running cohort studies that have tracked hundreds of thousands of adults for years, noting what they ate and whether they survived. These studies provide risk estimates, showing how extra UPF in the diet relates to the odds of dying early.

By combining survey data with risk estimates the team built a comparative risk assessment model. Finally they asked a simple question: How many deaths in 2020, among adults aged 30 to 69, would not have happened if everyone had eaten less ultra-processed food?

What the Study Found

Across all eight countries, ultra-processed products contributed nearly two fifths of the total energy intake. The United States topped the chart at about two thirds, while Colombia sat at the bottom with just under one quarter. The analysis revealed three main results:

1. Every extra 10 percentage points of calories from UPF raised premature death risk by roughly three percent. In other words, someone whose diet is 60 percent UPF carries about 12 percent higher odds of dying before 70 than a neighbour whose diet is 20 percent UPF.

2. Ultra-processed food was linked to nearly 261,000 early deaths in 2020 across these eight nations. That figure represents around nine percent of all deaths among adults aged 30-69 that year.

3. The deaths were highest in richer nations with the most industrialised food environments. The United States and the United Kingdom saw about 14 percent of premature deaths tied to the consumption of ultra-processed foods. Brazil and Colombia, who consume less packaged foods, recorded smaller shares of premature death at six and four percent respectively.

The pattern stayed much the same after adjusting for factors such as body weight, smoking and education level. This suggests that ultra-processed products damage health through several channels, not simply by packing on extra kilos.

Study Limitations

• The study relied on observational data, which can be affected by underreporting, overreporting or missing information in dietary surveys.

• The same health risk was applied to all age groups and both men and women, even though people’s bodies react differently to food.

• The effects of eating ultra-processed food may take years to show, but this study focused only on deaths in a single year (2020).

• The increase in death risk from eating more ultra-processed food may seem small at first, but it becomes serious when these foods make up a big part of the diet.

• The study looked at overall deaths but ultra-processed foods are known to have even stronger links to diseases like diabetes and heart problems.

What the Study Means for Africans

Although no African country was included, the findings likely apply to the continent. Supermarkets in Lagos, Nairobi and Johannesburg are filled with the same branded biscuits, sugary cereals and processed meats found in London or New York. Street vendors increasingly sell instant noodles and sweetened drinks while over the past decade, there has been steady sales of packaged snacks.

If current dietary shifts continue, Africa may soon mirror the UPF consumption seen in Latin America during the early 2000s. The study’s figures give policymakers an early warning. Even if Africa’s UPF share currently sits nearer Colombia’s level, the projected risk scales up as intake rises.

Ultra-processed foods can harm the body in the following ways: 

• Nutrient dilution: They are often high in energy yet low in fibre, vitamins and minerals. Consistently eating them crowds out protective whole foods.

• Additives and contaminants: Emulsifiers, colourants and chemicals formed during manufacturing can inflame the gut, alter hormones and disrupt the microbiome.

• Rapid digestibility: Finely ground starch and added sugars can spike blood glucose and insulin, fuelling weight gain and metabolic disease.

• Portion confusion: Attractive packaging and engineered flavours encourage over-eating.

What Steps Can You Take?

Completely avoiding packaged products is unrealistic for many African families who juggle busy schedules and rising food prices. Still, small changes add up.

1. Consume more minimally processed staples such as beans, yams, fresh fruit and leafy vegetables.

2. Swap sugary drinks for water or unsweetened herbal infusions.

3. Choose wholegrain over refined when buying bread, oats or maize meal.

4. Cook in batches at weekends, freezing portions to reduce reliance on instant noodles later in the week.

5. Support local markets where fresh produce is often cheaper than supermarket snacks.

The Role of African Governments

Each individual can make a conscious effort to minimise their consumption of ultra-processed foods, however the government plays a bigger role in their regulation, monitoring and distribution.

Here are some ways African Governments can protect their citizens through favourable policies:

• Introduce clear front-of-pack warning labels so buyers can see salt, sugar and fat levels at a glance.

• Restrict marketing of unhealthy foods to children, especially on television and social media.

• Subsidise fresh produce or reduce import tariffs on pulses (beans, cowpea) and nuts.

• Tax sugary drinks and high salt snacks, using revenue to fund nutrition education.

Wrap Up

The new study quantifies a threat many nutritionists have flagged for years: ultra-processed foods are quietly fuelling avoidable deaths. While Africa was not in the dataset the continent is rapidly adopting the same dietary patterns.

Families can protect themselves by choosing more whole foods and governments can act now to shape healthier food systems. The sooner we recognise the real cost of convenience, the better chance we have of safeguarding future generations.

Source: Nilson EAF. Delpino FM, Botis C, Macaha PP,  et al. Premature Mortality Attributable to Ultraprocessed Food Consumption in 8 Countries. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 68, Issue 6, 1091 - 1099. Available from here

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Published: June 8, 2025

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