Scientific studies demonstrate that ultra-processed foods have health hazards that match the dangers of smoking cigarettes. The studies show that heavy consumers face a 4% increase in all-cause mortality, which is connected to heart disease, diabetes and other health disorders. The experts recommend decreasing the processed food intake and choose whole minimally processed foods.
Scientific studies show that people who consume instant noodles, soda drinks and potato chips show similar health risks to those who smoke cigarettes. The statement may sound extreme but scientific evidence, collected over time, is difficult to disregard.
Scientific research has now reached the same conclusion about processed food that took decades to reach for cigarettes.
What Exactly Are Ultra-Processed Foods?
Packaged biscuits, flavored yogurts, ready-to-eat meals, breakfast cereals, energy drinks, processed meats, and most fast food. In short, a huge chunk of what millions of people eat every single day.
Ultra-processed foods are defined through a food processing classification system that Brazilian nutrition researcher Carlos Monteiro developed. Under this system, ultra-processed foods are Group 4, which represents the most industrialized food category.
These foods do not belong to the category of basic cooked or preserved foods. Ultra-processed foods are more harmful than standard junk food. The products are created through industrial processes that include synthetic food additives, preservatives, flavor enhancers, emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners and processed oils and fats, which people do not use in home cooking.
These are then combined with special additives that provide extended shelf life, enhanced visual appeal and the desire to consume more of them.
The last point is crucial. Whole foods do not activate the brain's reward system to the same extent as processed foods. Ultra-processed foods create extreme taste appeal in the same way that nicotine products create addiction.
The Research Is Alarming
The researchers from three American universities established that ultra-processed foods share addictive properties with cigarettes, which they proposed should receive equivalent regulatory oversight.
The study shows that ultra-processed foods share key engineering strategies adopted from the tobacco industry, which are designed to drive ‘compulsive consumption.’
The study determined that common ultra-processed foods such as soft drinks, chips and cookies are manufactured with industrial methods which create optimal conditions for producing the addictive elements that lead to excessive consumption.
The study recommends applying regulatory policies to ultra-processed foods, which are currently used for tobacco products.
The Lancet Regional Health published its most extensive research study on this topic, covering multiple countries, in 2025. The results of this study show that the risks of life-threatening outcomes associated with the consumption of ultra-processed foods could be more severe than has been considered.
The consumption of ultra-processed foods was shown to be positively associated with mortality and deaths due to circulatory diseases, cerebrovascular disease, ischemic heart disease, digestive diseases, and Parkinson’s disease.
Most alarmingly, researchers showed that the substitution of processed and ultra-processed foods with whole minimally processed foods was significantly related to reduced mortality.
Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health researchers conducted a seminal population-based cohort study in 2024. The study revealed that people who ate the most ultra-processed foods had a 4% higher risk of dying from any cause compared to those who ate the least.
The particular offending foods responsible for this risk were ready-to-eat and processed meats, sugar-sweetened and artificially sweetened beverages, and highly processed breakfast foods.
It sounds small, percentage wise. However, if this becomes the eating habit of billions of people around the world every day, the numbers are bound to go sky high.
The American Journal of Preventive Medicine published a study in 2025 found that ultra-processed food consumption in eight countries - Colombia, Brazil, Chile, Mexico, Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States – caused 4% - 14% of premature deaths.
The US and UK recorded the highest percentage at 14%. The researchers discovered that 10%-50% reduction in ultra-processed food consumption can save thousands of lives each year.
The world experiences between 12% to 15% of all deaths because of smoking. Ultra-processed foods are now in the same bracket.
How Ultra Processed Food Affect Your Body Negatively
The ill effects of processed foods are not just related to weight gain, but they have other detrimental effects on your body:
-Heart Disease: The presence of high amounts of trans fats, sugar, and salt in processed foods increases the levels of bad cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation in the body, which are leading causes of heart attacks and strokes.
-Cancer: There have been links discovered between the consumption of ultra processed foods and the risk of developing colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and overall cancer deaths. Additives such as certain artificial sweeteners and emulsifiers are being increasingly researched for their potential carcinogenic effects.
-Type 2 Diabetes: The refined carbohydrates in processed foods lead to a sudden spike in blood sugar levels, which puts the pancreas under constant strain and leads to insulin resistance.
-Mental Health: Research has found links between the consumption of ultra processed foods and depression, anxiety, and cognitive impairment. Your gut health, and consequently your mental well-being, is severely compromised by a diet rich in additives and poor in fiber.
-Addiction-like eating behaviors: Like cigarettes, ultra-processed foods are formulated to be addictive. The combination of sugar, fat, salt, and artificial flavorings triggers a dopamine response that makes it very hard to quit.
So, What Can You Do?
The Lancet study of 2025 says you don’t have to completely avoid ultra processed foods. Just moving towards more minimally processed foods such as vegetables, beans, whole grains, raw meat, dairy can significantly lower your risk of poor health.
-Begin with reading labels: If a product has more than five ingredients or has words that you can’t pronounce, that’s a sign to consume it in moderation.
-Replace processed foods with whole foods: A bag of nuts, an apple, or leftovers.
-Cook more at home: At home, you can control what you put in.
-Beware of Beverages: Pay attention to sodas, juices, and flavored coffees, which are some of the most processed products in the market.
Big Tobacco spent billions of dollars in the past, urging the world that smoking was safe. Today, no one believes that. The same thing holds true for ultra-processed foods.
There have been numerous large-scale, peer-reviewed studies that have followed hundreds of thousands of people over many decades, and the results are the same: A diet that consists of ultra-processed foods increases your risk of premature death from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and a host of other diseases.
That bag of chips is more than just empty calories. It is something much more sinister. The sooner we begin to take processed foods as seriously as we take cigarettes, the better our chances of living longer, healthier lives.
Disclaimer: This content is for general informational purposes only and should not replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider with any questions about your health or treatment options.
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