---
title: Ultra-Processed Food Updates
description: Multiple studies published recently have added to the body of evidence demonstrating harm from the consumption of ultra-processed food. Published in the American Journal of Medicine, a random sample of nearly 5,000 adult participants in the most recent NHANES study (2021-2023) was used to estimate the effect of ultra-processed food on cardiovascular disease, specifically, heart attack and stroke risk. In this sample of middle-aged adults (mean age 55), the average intake of ultra-processed food accounted for 26.1% of total energy intake.
---

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# [Ultra-Processed Food Updates](https://info.bioticsresearch.com/researchforum/ultra-processed-food-updates)

 Written by [The Biotics Research Team](https://info.bioticsresearch.com/researchforum/author/the-biotics-research-team) | May 14, 2026 4:16:51 PM

Multiple studies published recently have added to the body of evidence demonstrating harm from the consumption of ultra-processed food[. Published in](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41587677/) the *American Journal of Medicine*, a random sample of nearly 5,000 adult participants in the most recent NHANES study (2021-2023) was used to estimate the effect of ultra-processed food on cardiovascular disease, specifically, heart attack and stroke risk. In this sample of middle-aged adults (mean age 55), the average intake of ultra-processed food accounted for 26.1% of total energy intake. The risk of cardiovascular disease was 47% higher in the highest quartile compared with the lowest quartile. For comparison, the large prospective [UK Biobank cohort](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39545903/) found a 45% greater risk for heart failure and 62% higher risk for cardiovascular mortality when comparing the highest quartile of sedentary behavior to a lower quartile. In another [large study](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41613075/) of older U.S. adults, ultra-processed foods accounted for 42% of total calories, and higher intakes were associated with impaired executive functioning. *JAMA Network Open* also [recently published](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41774440/) evidence linking ultra-processed food to harm among children. In a cohort of over 2000 Canadian children assessed using a food frequency questionnaire at age 3, ultra-processed food accounted for 45.5% of total caloric intake. By age 5, behavior was assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), a validated tool used by caregivers to describe a range of behavioral and emotional symptoms, with a higher score indicating more caregiver-reported problems. Each 10% increase in calories derived from ultra-processed food was associated with higher total CBCL scores, as well as internalizing (inward-focused, such as anxiety and depression) and externalizing (outward-directed, e.g., aggression, hyperactivity) scores.

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