Eating ultra-processed meats such as chicken nuggets and hot dogs can contribute to early death

The new study, which was conducted over 30-years, analysed data from more than 100,000 medical professionals in the US. Those taking part had no history of cancer, diabetes or cardiovascular disease.

The participants provided researchers at Harvard’s TH Chan School of Public Health with information on their health and lifestyle habits every two years, as well as filling in a questionnaire every four years about their detailed food habits. The results of the study showed that those who ate the most ultra processed food, around seven serving per day, had a 4% higher risk of death by any cause and a 9% higher risk of death relating to neurodegenerative conditions.

The study, which was published in The BMJ, concluded: “Higher ultra-processed food intake was associated with slightly increased all cause mortality. The mortality associations for ultra-processed food consumption were more modest than those for dietary quality and varied across ultra-processed food subgroups, with meat/poultry/seafood based ready-to-eat products generally showing the strongest and most consistent associations with mortality. The findings provide support for limiting consumption of certain types of ultra-processed food for long term health.” Lead study author Dr. Mingyang Song said that the correlation between consumption and mortality was “moderate”, adding that different kind of ultra-processed foods yielded different results. Ultra-processed meats, such as chicken nuggets, hot dogs, bacon and sausages, had a bigger impact in the study compare to ultra-processed grains such as breakfast cereals.

He said: “Cereals, whole grain breads, for example, they are also considered ultra-processed food, but they contain various beneficial nutrients like fiber, vitamins and minerals. On the other hand, I do think people should try to avoid or limit the consumption of certain ultra-processed foods, such as processed meat, sugar-sweetened beverages and also potentially artificially sweetened beverages.”

According to Dr Song and the researchers on the study, the main factor in reducing the risk of early death due to diet is to improve its quality. Dr Song explained: “If people maintain a generally healthy diet, I don’t think they need to be like scared or be freaked out. The overall dietary pattern is still the predominant factor determining the health outcomes.”