2023-09-23 08:39:13
by Silvana Costa
A diet rich in ultra-processed foods (ready meals, sugary drinks, packaged snacks) increases the risk of mortality by 60 percent from all causes
A few months ago I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and started a low-calorie diet. I know that correct nutrition is essential to control the disease and I have read that some ultra-processed foods are very dangerous for your health: right?
Silvana Costa, Endocrine Diseases Unit, San Bortolo Hospital, Vicenza, Association of Diabetologists (GO TO THE FORUM) replies
The first rule for people with diabetes is to follow a balanced diet, rich in fiber from vegetables, fruit and unrefined cereals and low in fats of animal origin (Mediterranean diet). When choosing foods, it is also essential to consider the degree of food processing. Food is considered unprocessed or minimally processed when it is intact, as naturally occurring or with only a few changes from its original state. A certain degree of food processing is quite common and consists, for example, of cooking and adding salt or oil.
Ultra-processed foods (also called Upf) are products that have undergone often intense transformation processes, made with substances that are not usually used in cooking (for example hydrolysed proteins, maltodextrins, hydrogenated fats) and which generally contain various additives (colourings , preservatives, antioxidants, anti-caking agents, flavor enhancers and sweeteners) whose purpose is to enhance its flavour, appearance and prolong its shelf life. This category includes many ready-made and frozen meals, sugary drinks, products on sale in fast food outlets and many packaged snacks (sweet or savory).
UPFs have a negative effect on the intestinal microbiota (i.e. the microorganisms that colonize our intestine), worsen systemic inflammation, insulin resistance and body weight, thus generating negative cardiometabolic effects. A study, recently published in the scientific journal Diabetes Care and conducted on almost 200 thousand subjects, has shown that UPFs increase the risk of developing diabetes. They are also associated with an increased risk of mortality for people with type 2 diabetes, as demonstrated by research by Irccs Neuromed in Pozzilli, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The study, which involved a thousand people with type 2 diabetes and followed their health status for 12 years, highlighted that a diet rich in Upf increases the risk of mortality from all causes by 60%, doubling that of cardiovascular mortality. Food labels should contain information on the composition and the degree of processing to which they have been subjected. In any case, the longer the list of ingredients becomes, the greater the probability that the food has been ultra-processed.
September 23, 2023 (modified September 23, 2023 | 08:38)
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