Ultra-processed food consumption and disease: the jury is still out
Sara Castro‐Barquero, Ramón Estruch
Abstract
This editorial refers to ‘Ultra-processed food intake and all-cause and cause-specific mortality in individuals with cardiovascular disease: the Moli-sani Study’, by M. Bonaccio et al., https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehab783. As the world’s population grows and tends to concentrate in large cities, eating fresh and local products becomes more difficult. In this setting, the collaboration of science and technology is crucial to ensuring that food can be available to everyone. Humans have processed food since ancient times to maintain its organoleptic and nutritional properties, in addition to reducing biological (mainly microbial) risks and thus extending the conservation period. Food processing, such as fermentation, has also allowed the creation of new and healthier foods and beverages, including miso, kefir, and bread. However, some food processing can be accompanied by partial or total loss of essential nutrients, such as vitamins or amino acids, or the formation of toxic substances such as heterocyclic amines.1...