Following a diet high in ultra-processed foods may increase an individual's susceptibility to stroke, cardiovascular ailments, and coronary heart disease.
This study examined the ingestion of ultra-processed foods and its impact on cardiovascular disease risk. Researchers collated and assessed the ultra-processed food intake habits and medical records of over 100,000 French men and women for a period of 5 years.
Researchers observed that participants at the top of the ultra-processed food consumption ladder had high risk of developing cardiovascular, cerebrovascular (stroke), and coronary heart disease compared to their counterparts at the opposite end of the ladder. This study provides further evidence that high level of intake of ultra-processed foods may be one of the factors that is contributing to the rising rates of cardiovascular, coronary heart, and cerebrovascular diseases globally.