Pizza and burgers die earlier

Scientists have calculated how much

Georgy Golovanov, Hi-tech+

Doctors have repeatedly warned about the dangers of nuggets, French fries and pizza. A new study has come to even more unequivocal conclusions – supporters of such a diet die earlier.

A team of scientists from The University of Paris studied the data of almost 45,000 Frenchmen aged about 57 years by the time the experiment began and observed them for seven years. Participants regularly filled out questionnaires about what they eat and drink, whether they exercise, what kind of lifestyle they lead, and also indicated their height, weight and other parameters.

Most of all, the researchers were interested in a group of food products, which was called "ultra-processed" – according to the NOVA classification proposed by Brazilian nutritionist Carlos Monteiro. These are products created industrially from several ingredients, which usually include food additives and dyes. Most often, such food is consumed in the form of snacks, desserts or semi-finished products.

Scientists have found dependence in the use of ultra-processed foods with a high risk of death from various causes. An increase in the intake of such products for every 10% increases mortality by 14%.

The reasons for this effect are the presence of acrylamide, a substance formed at high temperatures during the reaction between asparagine and sugar. Most often it can be found in fried foods or baked goods. The WHO has long called acrylamide a "probable carcinogen."

Also harmful are some food additives like titanium dioxide, which can lead to chronic inflammation and oncogenesis. And emulsifiers and sweeteners can disrupt the bacterial balance of the intestine and lead to metabolic syndrome and, eventually, type 2 diabetes and cancer. Finally, packaging can also play an important role – cans and plastic films with bisphenol A.

The authors of the study urge health authorities to think about how to make healthy food cheaper and more accessible to the population, and people to cook and eat at home more often.

Such conclusions did not become a revelation for researchers. Last year, the same group reported the association of ultra-processed foods with cancer in general and breast cancer in particular. Other works point to the harm that the "Western" diet with a high content of sugar and processed foods causes to health.

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