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Can you guess what ingredients are in your lunch today? New research suggests that whether you can easily identify what's in your food could affect your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
Processed meals, soda, chips, hot dogs, chicken nuggets, and ice cream all fall into the ultra-processed food category and can contain dozens of synthetic additives, including preservatives, emulsifiers, and artificial colors — and the report shows that these foods can have major health effects.
The researchers analysed ultra-processed food intake and the development of type 2 diabetes in more than 300,000 people from eight European countries over an average period of 10.9 years. The Lancet Community Health – Europe.
According to the data, the team found that for every 10% increase in dietary intake of ultra-processed foods, the risk of developing type 2 diabetes increased by 17%.
According to the study, scientists also found that reducing intake of ultra-processed foods could reduce the risk.
The study is observational and while the researchers can show an association between levels of food processing and risk of type 2 diabetes, they cannot say definitively that one causes the other, Dr Nerys Astbury, associate professor of diet and obesity in the Nuffield School of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Oxford, said in a statement.
But the latest findings add to a growing body of evidence showing that increased consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to a number of adverse health outcomes, said Astbury, who was not involved in the study.
Dr Samuel Dicken, a clinical scientist at University College London and lead author of the study, said you could tell if your shopping basket contained ultra-processed foods by the combination of multiple ingredients – many of which we wouldn't prepare at home – and the heavy processing they required.
“Ultra-processed foods are everywhere,” Dicken said in an email. “They're highly available, inexpensive, convenient, and heavily promoted.”
“Examples include sugary drinks, ready-to-eat meals, savory snacks (such as potato chips), breakfast cereals and plant-based alternatives,” he added. “These are often identifiable by long lists of ingredients and colorful brand names on the packaging, and may claim nutritional or health benefits such as being low fat or high fiber.”
Researchers can't definitively explain why ultra-processed foods increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, but they have some hypotheses.
For example, “foods tend to be high in calories relative to their weight, which means it takes a lot of calories to feel full,” Dicken says.
“We also know that increased body fat (from excess calories) increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. When weight is taken into account, an increased waist-to-height ratio (more abdominal fat) may explain almost half of that association,” he added.
The study cannot prove a causal link between foods and type 2 diabetes risk, and the authors acknowledged its limitations and the need for more research, said Sarah Gallo, senior vice president of product policy at the Consumer Brands Association, a trade group for US consumer goods manufacturers.
“Demonizing store-bought, ready-to-eat foods can limit access to and lead to avoidance of nutritious foods, leading to lower diet quality, increased risk of foodborne illness, increased food waste, and exacerbated health disparities,” she said. “Manufacturers of America's trusted household brands are closer to consumers than any other industry and are committed to protecting access to nutritious, affordable, convenient and safe food.”
According to Dicken, the main culprits thought to be driving the link between ultra-processed foods and type 2 diabetes are sugar-sweetened drinks, processed foods from animal sources and savory snacks such as potato chips.
When you go out to buy lunch, he suggests swapping soda for water and chips for fruit or unsalted trail mix.
“It's also important to remember that not all processing is equal,” said Dr Hilda Mulroney, a lecturer in nutrition and health at London Metropolitan University, who was not involved in the study.
“In fact, all foods are processed to some degree; even picking an apple from a tree is a form of processing,” she said in an email. “Processing is often beneficial because it ensures food safety, extends the life of the food, and reduces the risk that it will spoil and cause foodborne illness. It is the degree of processing that is at issue.”
To assess how processed the foods you eat are, she recommends thinking about how similar they are to the original ingredients.
“Looking at food labels is a good starting point. If the end product looks nothing like the original food and has a long list of ingredients, it's likely an ultra-processed food,” Mulrooney said in an email.
Ideally, you want to eat as many foods as possible that are similar to the original source, she says.
“If you're not sure how much ultra-processed food is in your diet, it might help to keep a record for a few days,” Mulroney adds. “If you find yourself eating large amounts, it might help to shift the balance of your diet away from ultra-processed foods and towards more natural, less processed foods and drinks.”
And remember, diet isn't the only factor that contributes to diabetes risk, she says: activity levels, how much time you spend sitting, how much sleep you get, hydration levels, and smoking and drinking habits all play a role in diabetes risk.
