HEART HEALTH
Less Is More
(Processed Food, That Is)
Recent studies confirm it: A diet
with too many processed foods can
increase the risk of cardiovascular
disease, among other health
hazards.
Many studies have shown that there is a correlation between junk foods
and your health, but two large European studies recently published by
the British Medical Journal have found a link between heart disease
and eating foods that are over processed.
Additional research needs to be
completed in order to create a more
concrete link between heart disease
and consumption of highly processed
foods but limiting this kind of nutritionally
sparse food from your diet
could have long term health benefits.
Examples of ultra-processed foods
include but are not limited to:
• Packaged baked goods and snacks
• Fast food
• Sodas
• Sugary cereals
• Ready meals containing food
additives
• Dehydrated vegetable soups
• Reconstituted meat and fish
products
A quick Google search and you can
find articles linking highly processed
foods to high risks of obesity, elevated
blood pressure and higher cholesterol
but additional research needs to be
done before a direct link can be made.
In the first study, the research team
assessed possible links between
ultra-processed foods and risk of
cardiovascular as well as cerebrovascular
disease. The findings are based
on 105,159 French adults (21% men;
79% women) with an average age of
43 years who completed an average of
six 24-hour dietary questionnaires to
measure usual intake of 3,300 different
food items, as part of the Nutri-
Net-Santé study. Foods were grouped
according to degree of processing and
rates of disease were measured over a
maximum follow-up of 10 years.
LINKS: www.heart.org (American Heart Association)
26 COMMUNITY HEALTHCARE DIGEST • JUL–SEP 2019 | WWW.CHDIGEST.COM
/www.heart.org
/WWW.CHDIGEST.COM