Del BaileyUltra-processed foods are linked to higher risk of cardiovascular death, type 2 diabetes, depression and early death in a 2024 BMJ review covering nearly 9.9 million people. For heart disease, a separate Harvard analysis found the risk concentrated in sugary drinks and processed meats. The evidence is observational, so it shows association and does not prove cause.
Updated November 12, 2026.
What Counts as Ultra-Processed Food
These foods are easy to love. They taste good, they sit in the pantry until you need them, and they take no work. Most of us have opened a bag of something salty meaning to eat a few and looked down to find it empty. The trouble is what the research says about eating a lot of them.
Dr. Stephen Devries, a preventive cardiologist quoted by the American Medical Association, describes them as industrial creations made with little, if any, whole food. They often carry large amounts of added sugar and salt. Think packaged snacks, soda, energy and sports drinks, breakfast cereals and bars, and sweetened juices.
You probably eat more of them than you think. The AMA article cites data that 57% of adult calories and 67% of children’s daily calories come from ultra-processed foods.
I cook most nights, and the habit that does the most work is a dull one. I stock the kitchen with food that doesn’t need a label and let the packaged stuff be the exception. That is easier to keep up than any rule about banning things.
Ultra-Processed Foods and Weight Gain
The cleanest test is an NIH trial led by Dr. Kevin Hall at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Twenty healthy adults lived at the NIH Clinical Center for 28 days and spent two weeks on each of two diets, one ultra-processed and one minimally processed. It was published in Cell Metabolism in May 2019.
On the ultra-processed diet, people ate about 500 more calories a day, mostly from carbohydrates and fat. They also ate faster. They gained about 2 pounds on average, and lost about the same on the minimally processed diet.
In the BMJ umbrella review (a review that pools many other reviews), the odds of obesity were 55% higher in people with the highest intake (odds ratio 1.55). That figure comes from cross-sectional data, which is a snapshot in time, so it shows a pattern and does not show which came first.
What Ultra-Processed Foods Crowd Out
The simplest problem is that they take up room on your plate. When more than half of your calories come from food that contains little whole food, there is less room for vegetables, beans, fruit and whole grains. Dr. Neha Sachdev, a family physician at the AMA, says unfamiliar ingredients on a label are a sign of heavy processing. If you’ve ever read the back of a package and couldn’t say half the ingredients out loud, you know the feeling.
You do not need to wipe them out. The goal isn’t to ban them from your house, just to keep them limited. Devries advises treating them as an occasional choice and shopping for foods that don’t have and don’t need labels. Packaged foods with few ingredients, such as frozen vegetables, canned beans and canned fish, are fine.
Ultra-Processed Foods and Heart Disease
The BMJ umbrella review pooled 45 analyses from 14 meta-analyses. It found that higher intake was associated with about 50% higher risk of cardiovascular death (relative risk 1.50) and about 21% higher risk of death from any cause (relative risk 1.21). Of the 45 analyses, 32 showed a direct association with harm.
A Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health team added detail in The Lancet Regional Health-Americas. It followed more than 200,000 adults for 30 years and combined the data with 19 other studies, about 1.25 million adults in all. Higher intake was associated with more cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease and stroke.
Not every category looked the same. Sugar-sweetened drinks and processed meats carried higher risk. Cold cereals, yogurt and ice cream, and savory snacks were linked to lower risk. The takeaway is to look at what you are eating, not only how processed it is.
Ultra-Processed Foods and Type 2 Diabetes
The BMJ review found a 12% higher risk of type 2 diabetes for each 10% increase in ultra-processed food intake (relative risk 1.12). Another analysis found 40% higher odds when comparing the highest and lowest intakes (odds ratio 1.40). The quality of evidence was rated moderate for the first and very low for the second.
Mental Health and Ultra-Processed Foods
The same review found 53% higher odds of common mental disorders in people with the highest intake (odds ratio 1.53), with evidence rated low. This comes from cross-sectional data, so it cannot say whether the food contributed to low mood or whether low mood changes what people eat.
The Social Side of Convenience Food
Ultra-processed food wins on time. It is ready when you are, and it takes no planning. Most of us have stood in the kitchen after a long day, too tired to cook, and grabbed whatever was in the pantry. In a world already built around convenience, a bag you can just open is hard to beat. That makes it the default on a busy night, and it often replaces the shared meal.
Cooking even a few dinners together a week brings that back. Most families have a favorite meal that gets everybody to the table, and sitting down to eat together is one of the nicest parts of food. A bag from the pantry can’t give you that. Our guide to healthy choices at restaurants covers eating out. For something simple at home, try these easy meals for busy people, or swap in a whole-food snack for the bag in the pantry.
Ultra-Processed Foods FAQ
What are ultra-processed foods?
Dr. Stephen Devries describes ultra-processed foods as industrial creations made with little, if any, whole food, often high in added sugar and salt. Examples include packaged snacks, soda, ice cream, breakfast cereals and sweetened juices. The AMA article says they make up 57% of adult calories.
Do ultra-processed foods cause weight gain?
In an NIH trial of 20 adults, people ate about 500 more calories a day on an ultra-processed diet and gained about 2 pounds in two weeks. They lost about the same on a minimally processed diet. The trial was small and short, so it supports the link without settling it.
Which ultra-processed foods are worst for the heart?
A Harvard study of more than 200,000 adults over 30 years found higher risk with sugar-sweetened drinks and processed meats. Cold cereals, yogurt and ice cream, and savory snacks were linked to lower risk. The study is observational, so it shows association only.
How can I eat fewer ultra-processed foods?
Devries advises choosing foods that don’t have and don’t need labels, such as fresh produce, dried beans and whole grains. Packaged foods with few ingredients, like frozen vegetables and canned beans, work too. Sachdev suggests reading labels, starting with small changes, and talking with your doctor.
This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician about your own situation.
Madeline Marshall
Avery Walsh