Eat less ultra-processed food (potato chips, instant noodles, pastries, ready meals)
- Moderate value
- Evidence A
- Buys life
- Disputed
- Free
- Takes time daily
- Long-term effort
In plain words
People who eat the most ultra-processed food have about a 20% higher chance of dying over the same period than people who eat the least, and a 50% higher chance of cardiovascular death. But this evidence is rated as fairly uncertain, so discount the numbers.
- Cost
-
Free; you are just buying different things. It means cooking yourself or spending time choosing minimally processed ingredients, which takes some time every day. The hard part is resisting the habit of “whatever is convenient” over the long term.
- What you get
-
A review pooled several meta-analyses again; the original studies under those meta-analyses were all observational, not assigning groups. Result: people who ate a lot of ultra-processed food had about 21% higher risk of death than people who ate little (RR 1.21), and about 50% higher cardiovascular death (RR 1.50). The evidence grades for these two were “highly suggestive” and “convincing” respectively. But by the standard evidence-grading method (GRADE), the certainty is low or very low.
- Notes
-
The dispute has three points. First, this classification (NOVA) lumps together foods whose nutrition differs a great deal. Second, it overlaps heavily with sugary drinks and processed meat (§2.7, §2.18), so it is unclear which one is doing the work. Third, it also gets a low grade under the standard evidence-grading method (GRADE). So how much extra benefit this item brings once you have done those two is hard to say. The evidence against is just the low rating given by the same review; there is currently no original study that reached the opposite conclusion. So first do §2.7, §2.18 (no sugary drinks, less processed meat), then look at this one.
- Evidence grade
- A : Specific numbers from meta-analyses, large cohorts or randomized trials; for law and policy, the statute or official text.
- Sources
-
- Lane MM 等 (2024). Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj-2023-077310
Mentioned in
Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 2, tip 28. This section is about health and medicines. It is general information, not a substitute for a doctor’s diagnosis or prescription. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer