New Delhi: Junk food and ultra-processed foods like bread, chips and convenient, instant and packaged meals occupy an important part in the diet of many, and according to a study by researchers from Cambridge and Bristol university, 66% of the daily calories come from ultra-processed, fatty food. The study found that two-thirds of British children were highly dependent on processed foods and for this, food diaries from 2991 youngsters aged 11 to 18 years were evaluated from 2008 to 2009. There was a small dip in the same over a decade but processed and packaged meals still occupied a large part of the diet.
Ultra-processed foods are also associated with a high risk of chronic and acute health problems in a long run. On the one hand, there is growing evidence that associates UPF with poor diet quality and long term health problems like heart diseases and even cancer. While these foods are easy to prepare and also cheaper, but they offer little or no nutritional value.
Processed foods are high in saturated fats, sugar and low in essential macro and micronutrients. This can overtime lead to accumulation of calories and raise the risk of weight gain. This includes fizzy and convenient drinks, also biscuits and chips and breakfast cereals. The study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, experts said that teens living in poorer areas were more likely to eat junk food.
Experts found that processed foods can offer convenience and are cheaper solutions for low and poor income countries, but they offer no essential minerals. Overtime, this can cause nutritional deficiencies and other long-term health problems, it may even raise the risk of early death. A three-year-long study by Harvard University found that eating foods that fall under this category found that this diet can cause early death.
The study was published in the British Medical Journal, found that those who ate the most UPF were 13% more likely to die sooner. Another study by Central Queensland University in Australia found that a highly processed diet can raise the risk of 32 different health problems including type-2 diabetes, cancer, anxiety, hypertension and obesity.
Ultra-processed foods are also associated with a high risk of chronic and acute health problems in a long run. On the one hand, there is growing evidence that associates UPF with poor diet quality and long term health problems like heart diseases and even cancer. Health News Health News: Latest News from Health Care, Mental Health, Weight Loss, Disease, Nutrition, Healthcare
