Nov 19, 2025
3 min read
It worsens many chronic illnesses, including depression, a major review says.
Ultra-processed foods are a threat to global health, experts warn
The job requires right now to reduce UNTA-DEPLILE HI UP) to the drinking water of the world, tell the world.
They say the way we eat is changing – shifting from fresh, unprocessed foods to cheap, highly processed meals – increasing our risk for a range of chronic diseases, including obesity and depression.
Writing in The Lancet, the researchers say governments should "step up" and provide warnings and higher taxes on UPF products to help finance nutritious food.
But some scientists say that this review cannot prove that UPF directly causes health damage and that more research and trials are needed to show this.
Ultra-processed foods are defined as more than five ingredients that you won't find in your kitchen cabinets at home, such as emulsifiers, preservatives, additives, colors, dyes, colors, and sweeteners.
Examples of PFS include sauces, crisps, pastries, biscuits, instant soups, fizzy drinks, ice cream and supermarket bread.
These studies show that these foods have appeared on the global menu and are damaging the quality of our diet with unhealthy fats and lack of fiber.
A review of the evidence on the health effects of UPF, conducted by 43 global experts and based on 104 long-term studies, suggests that these foods are associated with a higher risk of 12 health conditions.
These include type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, depression and premature death from any cause.
Review the author Professor Carlos Monteiro, from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, who has removed the cleaning system that works around the world, confusing new food with less food ".
"Participation in what people eat is done by powerful global companies that make big profits that increase the importance of the products of the process and putting the right hand," he added.
Co-author Dr Philip Baker, from the University of Sydney, said the response was "a strong global public health response - similar to the coordinated efforts to challenge the tobacco industry".
The review acknowledges that there are no clinical trials showing good harm for Upf - but says this should not delay taking action to protect people around the world from potential health harm.
Some scientists have commented that it is difficult to distinguish the effects of UPFs on people's diets from other factors such as people's lifestyles, behavior and wealth.
Critics of the Nova classification system say it depends too much on the level of processing of the food and not on how nutritious a particular food is.For example, whole grain bread, breakfast cereals, low-fat yoghurts, baby food and fish fingers are all considered ultra-processed but have many benefits in them.
Professor Kevin McConway, Emeritus Professor of Applied Statistics at the Open University."A study like this might find a link, but it can't be sure of cause and effect."
He said there is still "room for doubt and clarification from further research".
"I think that some UPF at least leads to an increased risk of some chronic diseases, but it doesn't necessarily mean that UPF increases the risk of all diseases."
It is not yet clear whether ultra-rich foods cause or contribute to the disease.
Professor Jules Griffin, from the University of Aberdeen, said there were other positive aspects of food processing and more research into "quick-fixing" our health.
According to the Food and Beverage Federation (FDF), UPF can be part of a healthy diet, such as canned peas and bread.
"Companies have made a range of changes over many years, in line with government guidelines, to make the food and drink we all buy healthier," says Kate Halliwell, FDF's chief scientific officer.
The amount of sugar and salt in products sold in shops and supermarkets has increased since 2015.A third fell.
The UK's Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition said earlier this year that the link between high consumption of highly processed foods and negative health outcomes is "contested".
But he added that it was "unclear" whether these foods were unhealthy because of the processing or because many of them were high in calories, saturated fat, salt and free sugars.
Current UK government advice on diet is to eat more fruit, vegetables and fibre, and cut back on sugar, fat and salt.
