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Ultra-Processed Food

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What are Ultra-Processed Foods?

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have emerged as a critical, yet often overlooked, driver of chronic disease burden and compromised wellbeing. Defined as edible products formulated with substances of rare or no culinary use – alongside cosmetic additives such as stabilisers, colourants, flavour enhancers, emulsifiers, and sweeteners – UPFs are engineered to extend palatability, profitability, and shelf life.1,2 Comprising formulations designed for exclusive industrial use, UPFs undergo multiple industrial processes – hence the term ‘ultra-processed’.1 In many Western countries, they dominate the food supply – UPFs account for 57% of adult dietary energy intake in the United States2 and between 42–58% in Australia.3

Why does it matter?

The health impacts of UPF extend beyond macronutrient imbalances and low micronutrient density. The risks lie not only in what they lack, but in what they add. The industrial processing and packaging of UPFs introduces a range of biologically active compounds, including:

  • Bisphenol-A4
  • Emulsifiers and thickeners5,6
  • Advanced glycation end products7
  • Artificial sweeteners8
  • Acrylamide*9
  • Monosodium glutamate (MSG)10
  • Sulphites11

These compounds exert additional biological stress beyond nutrient displacement, impacting gut barrier integrity [‘leaky gut’], immune activation, oxidative stress pathways, and microbiota composition. Importantly, recent studies also identify UPFs as a significant dietary source of microplastics – byproducts of manufacturing, packaging, and heating. For instance, chicken nuggets contain 30 times more microplastics per gram than unprocessed chicken breast.12 Microplastics are now being detected in human brains, with 3–5x higher levels in individuals with dementia,13 raising profound concerns about neurotoxicity, inflammation, and mental health consequences.14

*Acrylamide is a chemical formed during high-temperature cooking and processing of starchy foods such as chips, crackers, and cereals. Classified as a probable human carcinogen, it has also been shown to increase oxidative stress and inflammation in humans, contributing to cardiovascular risk factors.9

The Clinical Evidence

A growing body of research demonstrates strong associations between high UPF consumption and a wide range of adverse health outcomes:

  • Higher prevalence of obesity, cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, thyroid disease, and depression2,15,16
  • Chronic inflammatory diseases17
  • Endothelial damage7
  • Altered gut microbiota,7,18 prolonged transit time and a higher risk of constipation, even after adjusting for fibre and water intake14,19

Figure 1. Association between ultra-processed food intake and risk of adverse health outcomes 20

Interestingly, high intakes of UPF are also associated with increased prescription medication use and laxative use.2,14
The mental health impacts are equally concerning. A large umbrella review published in the BMJ, spanning nearly 10 million participants, found that high UPF intake was associated with:

  • 22% higher risk of depression
  • 48% higher risk of anxiety
  • 41% higher risk of poor sleep outcomes13,20

Importantly, not all processed foods are created equal. Some whole-grain breads, organic cereals, and yoghurts may offer protective effects,2 but the most harmful categories – sugar-sweetened beverages, artificially sweetened beverages, processed meats, and ready-to-eat meals are consistently linked to elevated cardiovascular and metabolic risk.2

 

Why It Matters for You

Many people often underestimate their intake of UPFs and the role of food processing in their health outcomes – focusing on calories, salt, fat, or sugar content alone. Many UPFs are marketed as “better for you” via fortification or nutrient claims, obscuring the cumulative harm of their additives and structural transformations.

Moreover, many people unknowingly consume hidden UPFs in categories they perceive as “healthy” such as flavoured yoghurts, protein bars, plant-based milks, and certain breads. Without practitioner guidance, these exposures remain unaddressed.

 

How your qualified naturopath can help:

  • Increased exposure represents a modifiable risk factor – one that can meaningfully shift outcomes in chronic disease, gut health, and mental wellbeing.
  • Personalised dietary counselling that helps you identify and reduce your top UPF contributors.
  • Even modest dietary shifts – from UPFs toward minimally processed, whole foods – deliver measurable health gains.

Source: Article based on Education Update by PracConnect

References:

  1. Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy RB, et al. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutr 2019;22:936 41. doi:10.1017/S1368980018003762  
  2. Mendoza K, Smith-Warner SA, Rossato SL, Khandpur N, Manson JE, Qi L, et al. Ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular disease: analysis of three large US prospective cohorts and a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. Lancet Reg Health Am. 2024 Sep;37:100859. doi:10.1016/j.lana.2024.100859. 
  3. Marino M, Puppo F, Del Bo’ C, et al. A Systematic Review of Worldwide Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods: Findings and Criticisms. Nutrients 2021;13:2778. doi:10.3390/nu13082778  
  4. Sun Q, Cornelis MC, Townsend MK, et al. Association of urinary concentrations of bisphenol A and phthalate metabolites with risk of type 2 diabetes: a prospective investigation in the nurses’ health study (NHS) and NHSII cohorts. Environ Health Perspect. 2014;122(6):616–623. https://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1307201 
  5. Chassaing B, Koren O, Goodrich JK, Poole AC, Srinivasan S, Ley RE, Gewirtz AT. Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome. Nature. 2015 Mar;519(7541):92–6. doi:10.1038/nature14232.  
  6. Bhattacharyya S, O-Sullivan I, Katyal S, et al. Exposure to the common food additive carrageenan leads to glucose intolerance, insulin resistance and inhibition of insulin signalling in HepG2 cells and C57BL/6J mice. Diabetologia. 2012;55(1):194–203. https:// doi.org/10.1007/s00125-011-2333-z. 
  7. Uribarri J, Stirban A, Sander D, et al. Single oral challenge by advanced glycation end products acutely impairs endothelial function in diabetic and nondiabetic subjects. Diabetes Care. 2007;30(10):2579–2582. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc07-0320. 
  8. Jang W, Jeoung NH, ChoK-H.Modified apolipoprotein (apo) A-I by artificial sweetener causes severe premature cellular senescence and atherosclerosis with impairment of functional and structural properties of apoA-I in lipid-free and lipid-bound state. Mol Cells. 2011;31(5):461–470. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10059-011-1009-3 
  9. Naruszewicz M, Zapolska-Downar D, Ko´smider A, et al. Chronic intake of potato chips in humans increases the production of reactive oxygen radicals by leukocytes and increases plasma C reactive protein: a pilot study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89(3):773–777. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.2008.26647. 
  10. Singh K, Ahluwalia P. Effect of monosodium glutamate on lipid peroxidation and certain antioxidant enzymes in cardiac tissue of alcoholic adult male mice. J Cardiovasc Dis Res. 2012;3(1):12–18. https://doi.org/10.4103/0975-3583.91595. 
  11. Zhang Q, Bai Y, Yang Z, et al. The molecular mechanisms of sodium metabisulfite on the expression of KATP and L-Ca2+ channels in rat hearts. Regul Toxicol Pharmacol. 2015;72(3):440–446. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yrtph.2015.05.021. 
  12. Fabiano N, Lane MM, Marx W. Diet and depression. CMAJ. 2024;196(35):E1205–6 
  13. Nihart, A.J., Garcia, M.A., El Hayek, E. et al. Bioaccumulation of microplastics in decedent human brains. Nat Med 31, 1114–1119 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-024-03453-1 
  14. Fabiano N, Luu B, Puder D, Marx W. Microplastics and mental health: the role of ultra-processed foods. BMJ Ment Health. 2025 May 20;31–33. doi:10.61373/bm025v.0068.Lo C-H, Zhao L, Martinez Steele E, Zhang X, Singh H, Samadder NJ, et al. Association of ultra-processed food and unprocessed or minimally processed food consumption with bowel habits among U.S. adults. Functional Disorders. 2024 Nov;22(11):2309-2318.e5. 
  15. Lo C-H, Zhao L, Martinez Steele E, et al. Association of ultra-processed food with bowel habits among U.S. adults. Functional Disorders. 2024;22(11):2309–2318.e5 
  16. Mendonça R, de D, Pimenta AM, Gea A, et al. Ultraprocessed food consumption and risk of overweight and obesity: the University of Navarra Follow-Up (SUN) cohort study. Am J Clin Nutr. 2016;104(5):1433–1440. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.116.135004. 
  17. Tristan Asensi M, Napoletano A, Sofi F, Dinu M. Low-Grade Inflammation and Ultra-Processed Foods Consumption: A Review. Nutrients 2023;15:1546. doi:10.3390/nu15061546  
  18. Srour B, Kordahi MC, Bonazzi E, Deschasaux-Tanguy M, Touvier M, Chassaing B. Ultra-processed foods and human health: from epidemiological evidence to mechanistic insights. Lancet Gastroenterol Hepatol 2022;7:1128-40. doi:10.1016/S2468 1253(22)00169-8 
  19. Ultraprocessed Food Linked to Constipation - Medscape - June 20, 2024. 
  20. Lane MM, Gamage E, Du S, Ashtree DN, McGuinness AJ, Gauci S, et al. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ. 2024;384:e077310. doi:10.1136/bmj-2023-077310.