Ultra-Processed Foods: Effects on Health

Abstract

With industrialisation, food has become increasingly processed to reduce costs, improve sensory properties, etc. The NOVA classification system divides all nutrients into four groups according to the purpose and amount of processing to which they are subjected. According to the NOVA classification, the first group consists of unprocessed and minimally processed foods. The second group consists of processed culinary ingredients. The third group consists of processed foods and the fourth group consists of ultra-processed foods (UPF). Soft drinks, crisps, desserts, hamburgers and many other foods are among the UPFs. A diet high in UPFs is low in fiber, vitamins and minerals. It is thought to be detrimental to health due to high consumption of refined sugars, sodium and saturated fats. Compounds such as acrylamide and acrolein, formed as a result of heat treatment and food additives added to ultra-processed foods, are known to have adverse health effects. Examining ultra-processed foods as a group, rather than evaluating individual foods, can help us understand the effects of food processing on health, particularly obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the possible effects of UPFs on health.