The Growing Public Health Crisis: Study Finds Ultra-Processed Foods Harm Every Major Organ

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) now threaten every major organ system in the human body, according to the world’s largest scientific review by a team of 43 global experts examining their health impacts. In the US and UK, more than half the average diet now consists of these industrially manufactured products, with some populations consuming as much as 80% of their calories from ultra-processed sources.

Defining the Industrial Food Category

UPFs contain ingredients not typically found in home kitchens, including emulsifiers, artificial flavors, colorings, and chemical preservatives designed in food chemistry laboratories.

The NOVA classification system categorizes these as group four foods, distinguished by industrial formulations using sensory-related additives to enhance texture, flavor, and appearance. Examples include ready meals, packaged cereals, protein bars, fizzy drinks, and commercially produced breads containing more than five unfamiliar ingredients.

The Displacement of Whole Foods

These products are rapidly replacing fresh and minimally processed foods in diets worldwide, fundamentally reshaping what people eat across every continent. UPFs account for nearly 60% of American adults’ calorie consumption, while among children that proportion climbs to 70%.

This dramatic shift away from whole fruits, vegetables, beans, and freshly prepared meals represents an accelerating transformation in human nutrition.

The Comprehensive Health Toll

Evidence shows convincing links between high ultra-processed food consumption and a 50% increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease and 48% elevated anxiety risk. The review found highly suggestive evidence connecting these foods to 66% increased risk of death from heart disease, 55% higher obesity risk, and 40% greater likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes.

Additional associations include sleep disorders, depression, kidney disease, and colorectal cancer.

How Processing Harms Gut Health

UPFs damage the digestive system as they tend to be easily digested with components absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. Their typically low fiber content starves beneficial gut microbes, which may begin consuming the intestinal mucus lining that serves as a protective barrier.

Emulsifiers commonly used in manufacturing can disrupt the gut microbiome and weaken intestinal integrity, causing stomach discomfort and allowing harmful bacteria to invade normally sterile mucus layers.

The Hyperpalatable Addiction Design

Food scientists formulate these products to reach the “bliss point”—the precise combination of sugar, salt, and fat that maximizes palatability and encourages overconsumption.

A randomized study found participants on ultra-processed diets consumed 500 more calories daily and gained two pounds more over two weeks. Artificial sweeteners compound the problem by triggering cravings without satisfying nutritional needs, prompting fat storage as the body feels cheated of expected sugars.

Corporate Power Fuels the Crisis

Transnational corporations including Nestlé, PepsiCo, Unilever, and Coca-Cola dominate the market, generating enormous revenues that fund aggressive marketing and political lobbying.

These companies employ coordinated political activities to counter opposition and prevent regulation, mirroring tactics once used by the tobacco industry. Marketing specifically targets children and low-income communities with messages emphasizing convenience and value.

The Inequality Dimension

Ultra-processed food consumption runs highest among people facing economic hardship, as younger, poorer, and disadvantaged populations typically consume the greatest proportions.

The foods are deliberately designed to be affordable through industrial processing of cheap commodities like corn, wheat, and soy. Aggressive advertising near schools and in disadvantaged neighborhoods drives consumption among the most vulnerable populations.

Policy Solutions Gaining Traction

Chile and Colombia have implemented mandatory front-of-package warning labels using black octagons, successfully changing consumer behavior as children learn to reject products with multiple warnings. Brazil’s national school food program has eliminated most ultra-processed items and will require 90% of food to be fresh or minimally processed by 2026.

Proposed interventions include higher taxes on ultra-processed products, marketing restrictions, bans in public institutions, and supermarket shelf space limits.

The Path Forward Requires Systemic Change

Experts emphasize that education and individual behavior change prove insufficient without coordinated government action to regulate the industry. Redirecting agricultural subsidies toward diverse local food producers could create affordable, minimally processed options that remain convenient and appealing.

The global public health response must match the scale of corporate power while ensuring transitions away from ultra-processed diets do not deepen food insecurity among populations currently dependent on cheap industrial options.