Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and the Incidence of Hypertension in a Mediterranean Cohort: The Seguimiento Universidad de Navarra Project.

​Consuming generous portions of ultra-processed foods may accelerate the onset of hypertension.

This study investigated the link between the intake of ultra-processed food and the odds of having hypertension. With the aid of validated food frequency questionnaires, researchers collated and analyzed data on the rate of consumption of processed foods among 14,790 Spanish adult university graduates without a previous history of hypertension for an average of 9.1 years. The hypertension hazard ratios of all the subjects were also determined.

Researchers observed that likelihood of having hypertension was greater among subjects who were in the highest category of ultra-processed consumption. This 2017 study of Spanish adult men and women documented a positive association between high dietary ingestion of ultra-processed foods and the incidence of hypertension.