Convenient but dangerous: The hidden health risks of ultra-processed foods
High levels of added sugars, such as refined cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, and inflammation.
Ultra-processed foods offer convenience and appealing taste, but their health impact is increasingly alarming.
Items like instant noodles, sugary cereals, packaged snacks, reconstituted meats, frozen meals, soft drinks, energy bars, and fast food are typically high in added sugars, unhealthy fats, salt, and artificial additives, while offering little nutritional value.
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Regular consumption promotes overeating, disrupts gut health, and is linked to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer. The World Health Organisation (WHO) and multiple studies warn that their widespread use poses a serious public health threat, with rising cases of colorectal and gastrointestinal cancers.
These foods are harmful due to their combination of ingredients and processing methods. High levels of added sugars, such as refined cane sugar and high-fructose corn syrup, can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver, and inflammation. Unhealthy fats, including trans fats and excessive saturated fats, raise LDL cholesterol, lower HDL cholesterol, and increase the risk of heart disease and metabolic syndrome.
Excess salt, often added for flavour or preservation, raises blood pressure and strains the heart and kidneys, contributing to cardiovascular disease and stroke. Artificial additives like preservatives, colourings, flavourings, sweeteners, and emulsifiers may disrupt the gut microbiome, trigger inflammation, and interfere with metabolism. At the same time, these foods lack essential nutrients such as fibre, vitamins, and minerals, weakening immunity and organ function.
Refined carbohydrates in products like bread, pasta, and snacks digest quickly, causing blood sugar spikes that contribute to diabetes and weight gain. These foods are engineered to be hyper-palatable, combining sugar, fat, and salt to encourage overeating and override natural appetite regulation. Harmful compounds formed during processing, such as acrylamide in fried foods and advanced glycation end products (AGEs), can damage cells and increase cancer risk.
The danger lies not in one ingredient but in the cumulative effect of added sugars, unhealthy fats, excess salt, artificial additives, low nutritional value, refined carbs, and processing contaminants. Together, they drive inflammation, obesity, metabolic disorders, heart disease, and cancer.
Multiple studies and WHO reports confirm the health risks. A long-term study of 39,544 people over 25 years found that those who consumed the most ultra-processed foods had a 19 per cent higher risk of dying from heart-related issues.
Another French study, NutriNet-Santé, tracked 105,159 adults for five years and found that every 10 per cent increase in ultra-processed food intake raised the risk of heart disease by 12 per cent, heart attacks by 13 per cent, and strokes by 11 per cent.
Researchers suggest that it’s not just the unhealthy nutrients but the processing itself, additives, chemical changes, and structural alterations that may be harmful. Even if processed foods match natural ones in calories or nutrients, they can still increase the risk of heart and brain diseases.
An umbrella review published in the Journal of Nutrition analysed 39 meta-analyses covering 122 studies and 49 health outcomes. It found strong evidence linking ultra-processed foods to kidney dysfunction and wheezing in children, and highly suggestive evidence connecting them to type 2 diabetes, obesity, and depression. Importantly, no health benefits were identified from consuming these foods.
The negative effects of ultra-processed foods extend beyond heart health. They impact metabolic, kidney, respiratory, and mental well-being. These foods may trigger chronic inflammation, disrupt gut bacteria, interfere with hormones, and alter hunger regulation, changing how the body functions at a biological level and increasing vulnerability to chronic diseases.
WHO emphasises that diets high in ultra-processed foods are strongly associated with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and cancer. These foods are high in harmful components and low in protective nutrients. While individual risk may seem modest, the widespread consumption makes the cumulative impact significant.
In Kenya, the Ministry of Health has raised concerns over ultra-processed and packaged foods high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats, noting their role in rising NCDs like heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
To address this, Kenya introduced the Kenya Nutrient Profile Model (KNPM), which sets thresholds for unhealthy products and guides policies such as front-of-pack warning labels, marketing restrictions to children, and healthier public procurement.
Assessments show that only about 10 per cent of packaged foods in Kenya meet KNPM standards, meaning roughly 90 per cent could carry warnings. Proposed labels include “High in Sugar”, “High in Salt”, and “High in Fat”. The Ministry also stresses the need to restrict marketing to children and improve the national food environment.
With NCDs accounting for approximately 39 per cent of deaths in Kenya, reducing ultra-processed food consumption is a critical step toward improving public health.
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