translated from Spanish: Consumption of processed foods would increase the risk of cardiovascular disease

Two important studies published by British Medical Journal, one of the most important medical journals in the world, found a positive correlation between the consumption of ultraprocessed foods and the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Although researchers warn that new studies are still needed to understand how this increase in risk could work, they argue that the need to design public policies that promote food consumption is already evident. Fresh, as little processed as possible.  The first of the studies takes into account more than 105,000 people (21% men, 79% women) with an average age of 43 years, who responded questionnaires on their diets to measure their habitual consumption of food. The food was divided according to the level of processing. After ten years, disease rates were measured in that population and it was found that 10 percent difference in the proportion of ultraprocessed food intake in the diet was associated with higher risks of developing cardiovascular disease and Cerebrovascular. At the same time, a negative correlation was found between the diets with minimum consumption of processed foods and these diseases. In the second study, the possible relationships between the consumption of ultra-processed food and the risk of death for any cause were assessed. To this end, almost 20000 individuals of about 38 years completed a diet questionnaire in which the meals were grouped according to their level of processing. After 15 years, deaths were measured. High consumption of ultra-processed foods (more than four services per day) was associated with an increase of 62 percent of all causes of mortality in relation to those who consume less. While it is not yet clear that the consumption of ultraprocessed is the real cause of this increased risk, studies are a voice of alert. In this note:

Original source in Spanish