These products increase the risk of heart attack and stroke by 67%

Frequent consumption of ultra-processed foods may significantly increase the risk of serious cardiovascular events. The study was published in the journal JACC: Advances.

Chips, processed meats, sugary sodas, ready-made meals, and instant cereals — familiar companions of the modern diet — may come at a far higher cost than they appear. According to a new study, people who consumed more than nine servings of such products per day were 67% more likely to experience heart attacks, strokes, or die from cardiovascular causes compared to those who virtually eliminated them from their diet.

The large-scale study involved more than 6,800 individuals aged 45 to 84 who had no diagnosed heart disease at baseline. Over an extended period, researchers tracked their health status and conducted detailed dietary analysis using specialized questionnaires.

It was found that the threat builds gradually but steadily: each additional daily serving of ultra-processed food adds approximately 5% to the likelihood of adverse cardiovascular events. Notably, this effect persisted even after adjusting for caloric intake, diet quality, and factors such as obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. This suggests that the danger may lie not so much in the calories or individual ingredients, but in the level of industrial processing of the food itself.

The exact mechanisms of impact have not yet been fully studied; however, previous research indicates that such products provoke chronic inflammation, visceral fat accumulation, and metabolic disorders — essentially striking at all key risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

The authors note that the study is based on participants' self-reported dietary assessments and has its limitations. Nevertheless, the results obtained are consistent with data from previous studies and strengthen the case for reducing the share of ultra-processed foods in the daily diet.

According to the researchers, one of the most accessible ways to reduce risk is to pay closer attention to ingredient lists on packaging and to favor less processed foods: vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains.