Ultra-Processed Foods and Heart Disease Risk: A Diverse MESA Study

Ultra-processed foods can be found in the majority of aisles in grocery stores. These foods contain additives , including preservatives, sweeteners, and artificial flavors.

These items are typically more shelf-stable and are often cheaper than many whole, fresh foods, but may come at a cost to one’s health. Diets high in ultra-processed foods are linked to many negative health outcomes, including obesity , diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

The new study takes a closer look at this association to see how it presents in a diverse group. They found that, as expected, cardiovascular risk rose with each additional daily serving of ultra-processed foods, and this association was much stronger among Black Americans.

Ultra-processed foods may be convenient but they negatively impact health. Prior research has shown a strong association between ultra-processed foods and heart disease .

However, this prior research had some limitations related to the lack of diversity of race and ethnicity among study cohorts. The scientists who conducted the recent study wanted to see if prior findings hold up with a more diverse group.