Eating ultra-processed foods like protein bars and bread could increase your heart disease risk

• Eating foods with heavy preservatives could increase your risk of dying of heart disease.
• Each daily serving of ultra-processed food was associated a distinct increase in risk.
• Still, processed foods are cheap and easy to find compared to healthier options.
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Processed foods – cheap, convenient, and beloved by many Americans – have once again been proven harmful to our health.

Higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with an increased risk of heart disease and death, according to a study out this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Past research has also linked these preservative-laden foods to weight gain, cancer, and early death. Many studies, including the recent cardiology paper, have proven the health risks are higher for people who eat a greater quantity of processed foods.

Each daily serving of ultra-processed food – such as a single protein bar or a 12 oz can of soda – was associated with a 7% increase in the risk of dying of cardiovascular disease and a 9% increase in the risk of dying due to coronary heart disease, based on data from more than 3,000 adults followed for nearly 20 years.

Still, processed foods are "ubiquitous" in our diets, lead author Filipa Juul said in a press release. Even seemingly healthy options like protein bars, breakfast cereals, and most industrially produced breads are filled with preservatives and added sugar, salt, and fat.

Changing your diet can modify your risk, but accessibility matters

Although we know they're bad for our health, ultra-processed foods account for more than half of the daily calories in the average American diet.

"As poor diet is a major modifiable risk factor for heart disease, it represents a critical target in prevention efforts," Juul, a faculty fellow at the New York University School of Public Health, said in the press release.

The authors recommended taxing processed foods such beverages with added sugar as a possible incentive to reduce consumption. They also acknowledged the need to make more nutritious choices available and affordable, especially for populations that have historically lacked that access.

"Ultimately, the goal should be to make the unhealthy choice the hard choice and the healthy choice the easy choice," Robert J. Ostfeld, MD, MSc, and Kathleen E. Allen, MS, RD, wrote in an editorial accompanying the study.