Want To Lower Your Heart Disease Risk? Avoid These Foods, Study Finds
There are so many factors that influence heart disease risk, from stress, to sleep, and of course, your daily diet. And in today's grocery stores, ultra-processed foods (UPFs) make up a big portion of the selection.
These additive-laden foods are everywhere, but according to new research published in The American Journal of Medicine1, they're not doing any favors for our heart health. Here's what to know.
Studying the impact of ultra-processed foods
For this study, researchers wanted to take a closer look at the connection between ultra-processed foods and heart disease risk. To do so, they analyzed existing data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
The data included 4,787 adults from 2021 to 2023 who reported on things like daily diet, income, and smoking, as well as instances of heart attacks, strokes, etc. These participants were then categorized based on their ultra-processed food intake into one of four groups.
And based on the numbers, those eating the most ultra-processed foods had a much higher risk of heart disease. As senior study author, Charles H. Hennekens, M.D., explains in a news release, "The findings from our study, based on a large, nationally representative sample of 4,787 U.S. adults, show that those with the highest intake of UPFs suffer a statistically significant and clinically important 47% higher risk of cardiovascular disease."
Moving away from ultra-processed foods
When in doubt, sticking to real, whole foods will also be the healthier option than ultra-processed counterparts. These are single-ingredient foods that don't have fillers, added sugars and fats, or chemicals, and they're also often not as calorically dense as UPFs.
In fact, another recent study found that when participants ate only unprocessed meals, they consumed about 57% more food by weight, but roughly 330 fewer calories per day on average.
Of course, the healthier option isn't always the most accessible, Hennekens notes; "Addressing UPFs isn't just about individual choices—it's about creating environments where the healthy option is the easy option. Clinical guidance and public health education are necessary to make nutritious foods accessible and affordable for everyone."
The takeaway
Ultra-processed foods may be highly palatable, but they're proving to be detrimental to our heart health. So if you want to lower your heart disease risk, skip the aisles with the UPFs, and stick to real, whole foods.