Massive study links ultra-processed foods to greater risk of chronic and terminal disease Image By HPN Staff Key Points The Lancet review of 104 long-term studies found ultra-processed food consumption is associated with increased risk of at least a dozen serious conditions, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes, depression, and premature death. About 50% of the average U.S. diet comes from ultra-processed foods, rising to as much as 80% among young and low-income populations, amplifying health disparities. The findings arrive as HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. considers revising federal dietary guidelines, with potential ripple effects across school lunches, military meals, and the broader food industry under the MAHA agenda. The largest scientific review to date published in the Lancet links consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) to a dozen diseases and chronic health conditions such as obesity, heart disease, depression, type 2 diabetes and cancer. UPF, such as soft drinks and prepackaged foods that contain high concentrations of fat, salt, sugar and artificial flavorings, are displacing healthy, fresh foods not just in the U.S. but around the world, the authors found. The study, one of several conducted over the past two years to demonstrate similar impacts on health, comes as the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. considers overhauling federal dietary guidance. Why it matters Half of the average American diet consists of UPF, the Lancet study found, and among young and poor individuals, UPF constitutes as much as 80% of their caloric intake. For the Lancet study, more than 40 leading experts reviewed 104 long-term studies and found 92 greater health risks from overconsuming UPF. The evidence also showed high consumption of UFP associated with low nutritional intake, overeating and exposure to unhealthy chemicals. The study comes as Health Secretary Kennedy considers reforms to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The guidelines influence public school lunch programs, military meal planning, and private sector food production decisions. Kennedy has been critical of UPF and food additives. His Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) agenda promotes healthier food consumption and other steps to improve American health and reduce the incidence of chronic disease. The bigger picture The Lancet series showing negative health impacts from UPF overconsumption is one of several published over the past two years correlating UPF consumption and harmful health impacts. A study published in JAMA Oncology published in 2025 detected a link between colorectal cancer and higher UPF consumption. Another 2025 study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine of data from eight countries found consumption of UPF associated with premature death. In the U.S., 14 percent of premature deaths can be attributed to high UPF consumption. The study showed UPF constituted 55% of American food intake. A 2025 study published in the respiratory journal Thorax linked increased lung cancer risk with consumption of UPF. Those who ate the most UPF were 41 percent more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than those who ate the least. Researchers focused on foods such as salted snacks, breakfast cereals, fried foods, frozen yogurt, ice cream, cream cheese, sour cream, instant noodles, margarine, candy, soft drinks, bread, restaurant/store-made soups, sauces, hamburgers, pizza and hot dogs. A Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California study in 2025 showed UPF was associated with elevated blood sugar and prediabetes in young people. An increase of 10% increase in UPF intake was associated with a 64% higher risk for the early signs of diabetes. In 2024, BMJ published a study that found an association between UPF and 32 health impacts on mortality, cancer, and mental, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic health outcomes. A 2023 Harvard Study found that eating nine or more servings of UPF daily raised the risk of depression. SUGGESTED STORIES What the study of a supercentenarian after her death can tell us about our lives A new study of a woman who lived to 117 may yield clues to healthy aging. Researchers studied blood, saliva, urine and stool samples from Maria Branyas Morera — a Spanish woman believed to be the world’s oldest until her death last year — and compared them to sample Read more Race-neutral kidney disease screening formula facing criticism A recently adopted race-neutral formula used to evaluate the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) may instead be leading to inaccurate diagnoses and disqualifying otherwise valid potential kidney donors. Proponents of the new formula say it is designed to eliminate racial b Read more Telehealth appointments can boost impact of weight-loss drugs, study finds Regular telehealth appointments for obesity patients could significantly improve the effectiveness of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which are often prescribed online without follow-up, new research has shown. That could be significant when it comes to lon Read more
What the study of a supercentenarian after her death can tell us about our lives A new study of a woman who lived to 117 may yield clues to healthy aging. Researchers studied blood, saliva, urine and stool samples from Maria Branyas Morera — a Spanish woman believed to be the world’s oldest until her death last year — and compared them to sample Read more
Race-neutral kidney disease screening formula facing criticism A recently adopted race-neutral formula used to evaluate the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) may instead be leading to inaccurate diagnoses and disqualifying otherwise valid potential kidney donors. Proponents of the new formula say it is designed to eliminate racial b Read more
Telehealth appointments can boost impact of weight-loss drugs, study finds Regular telehealth appointments for obesity patients could significantly improve the effectiveness of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, which are often prescribed online without follow-up, new research has shown. That could be significant when it comes to lon Read more
