A sweeping new study has sharpened the spotlight on ultra-processed foods, identifying specific additives most strongly tied to an increased risk of early death.
Researchers in Germany examined dietary data from more than 180,000 adults in the U.K. Biobank, tracking their health over 11 years. On average, a fifth of participants’ diets consisted of ultra-processed foods—items that contain industrial ingredients rarely found in a home kitchen. By the end of the follow-up, 10,203 had died.
The analysis, published in eClinicalMedicine, singled out 12 “markers of ultra-processed” (MUPs) ingredients that carried the greatest risk. These included flavor enhancers such as glutamate and ribonucleotides, artificial sweeteners like acesulfame, saccharin, and sucralose, and a variety of added sugars including fructose, inverted sugar, lactose, and maltodextrin. Processing aids such as thickeners, firming agents, and caking agents were also linked to higher mortality.
Intriguingly, not all additives carried the same risk. Gelatin, commonly used as a gelling agent, was associated with a reduced risk of death. Meanwhile, modified oils, certain proteins, and fibers showed no significant effect on longevity.
“Our study is the first to assess such a broad range of ultra-processed food categories and specific markers with all-cause mortality,” the authors wrote, adding that risk rose notably once processed foods made up more than 18 percent of a person’s diet.
The findings reinforce a growing body of evidence connecting ultra-processed foods to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers. Just last month, British researchers reported that adults who cut out such products lost twice as much weight as those who continued eating them.
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Still, the German team cautioned that their data relied on self-reported diets, which may not fully capture individual consumption. They also stressed that not all processed foods are equally harmful, echoing calls for a more nuanced conversation about diet.
Dr. Samuel Dicken, a co-author from University College London, put it more simply: “We saw significantly greater weight loss on the minimally processed food diet.”
For consumers, the takeaway may be less about banning every packaged item and more about tipping the balance back toward meals made from scratch.