A diet heavy in ultra-processed food is not only linked to weight gain. It may also speed up the biology of ageing, according to a study of more than 20,000 adults whose blood was analysed for markers of inflammation, metabolic strain and cellular wear.
Those in the top fifth of ultra-processed intake — typically more than 60 per cent of calories from packaged snacks, sugary drinks, reconstituted meats and many supermarket ready meals — had profiles more typical of people four to seven years older. The association held after researchers accounted for body weight, smoking and exercise.
Ultra-processed products are not simply “food with ingredients”. They are industrial formulations, often high in refined starch, industrial fats, salt and additives, designed to be cheap, palatable and convenient. In Britain they now supply more than half of the calories eaten at home.
“This does not mean a biscuit will age you overnight,” said Dr Rajesh Patel of King’s College London, who was not involved in the work. “It means a dietary pattern built on these products appears to keep the body in a low-grade state of stress.”
The findings will sharpen an already fierce argument. Some scientists say the category is too blunt, sweeping in wholemeal bread and flavoured yoghurt with crisps and fizzy drinks. Others say the pattern is now too consistent, across heart disease, depression and early death, to keep treating it as a foodie scare.
The practical advice is less theological than the online debate. Cook more from beans, vegetables, eggs, fish and plain yoghurt. Treat the most packaged foods as occasional. Britain’s food system is not set up to make that the easy choice — which is why the study will land in Westminster as well as in clinic waiting rooms.