Ultra-processed food (UPF) has been found to have direct links to 32 harmful health effects, including an increased risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health, and early death, according to the world’s largest review of its kind.

The findings come at a time of rapidly rising global consumption of UPF, such as cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks, ready meals, and fast food. In the UK and US, more than half of the average diet now consists of ultra-processed food, with some individuals, particularly those who are younger, poorer, or from disadvantaged areas, consuming diets comprising as much as 80% UPF.

The results of the review, involving almost 10 million people, suggest that diets high in UPF may be detrimental to many aspects of health. The experts involved in the review, including those from leading institutions such as Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the University of Sydney, and Sorbonne University, concluded that greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorders, and mortality outcomes.

The researchers emphasized the need for measures to target and reduce exposure to UPF, stating that these findings provide a rationale to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of using population-based and public-health measures to address dietary exposure to ultra-processed foods for improved human health.

Ultra-processed foods, which undergo multiple industrial processes and often contain colors, emulsifiers, flavors, and other additives, have now been directly associated with a wide range of health parameters spanning mortality, cancer, and mental, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic health outcomes.