Explainer · Heart & Metabolic
Ultra-processed food was tied to a 19 percent higher risk of heart death in a 25-year study
An Australian study followed 39,544 adults for a median of 25 years. Those who ate the most ultra-processed food were more likely to die of cardiovascular disease, and the extra risk held even after accounting for sugar, salt and overall diet quality. Because it observed eating habits rather than assigning them, it shows a link, not proof.
Based on a peer-reviewed study in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
- An Australian study followed 39,544 adults for a median of 25 years and linked ultra-processed food to cardiovascular death.
- People who ate the most ultra-processed food had a 19 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who ate the least.
- The higher risk held even after accounting for overall diet quality and for sugar, sodium and saturated fat, hinting the processing itself matters.
- It is observational research, so it shows an association, not proof that ultra-processed food causes heart disease.
- The practical advice is balance, not a total ban: more whole foods, and water instead of sugary drinks. Published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
Ultra-processed foods, the packaged snacks, sugary drinks, instant noodles and processed meats that fill the middle aisles, already have a poor reputation. A long-running Australian study, reported in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, now puts a number on the heart risk. People who ate the most ultra-processed food had a 19 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who ate the least.
The finding comes from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study, which followed 39,544 adults for a median of 25.1 years. It was the first study to test whether ultra-processed food is linked to heart-related deaths in the Australian population. Over those years, 4,229 cardiovascular deaths occurred, and higher exposure to the ultra-processed food pattern was linked to higher risk.
It wasn’t just the sugar and salt
The easy explanation is that this food is loaded with sugar, salt and cheap fat. The study points somewhere more awkward. According to the research team, the increased risk remained even after adjusting for overall diet quality and specific nutrients like sugar, sodium and saturated fat. That hints the trouble is not only what is in these foods, but how they are made.
Why processing itself might matter
Researchers have a few theories for how processing could hurt the heart. Ultra-processed foods are stripped of protective plant compounds, like the polyphenols usually found in fruits, vegetables, tea and coffee, that help calm inflammation. The additives that give these products their long shelf life and craveable texture, such as emulsifiers and artificial sweeteners, may also unsettle the gut and its bacteria in ways that stoke inflammation. No single mechanism is proven, but this is why many scientists suspect the processing is more than a bystander.
How solid is this?
As with almost all diet research of this kind, this was an observational study. It can show that heavy ultra-processed eaters died of heart disease more often, but it cannot pin the blame on the food itself. As the British Heart Foundation puts it, studies like this cannot prove that ultra-processed foods directly cause heart disease. People who eat the most ultra-processed food often differ in income, exercise and smoking, and researchers can only adjust for so much. Diet was also captured with a questionnaire, in some cases decades ago.
What to actually do
The takeaway is not a purge. Even the heart charity’s advice stops well short of that: instead of trying to cut these foods out entirely, think about the balance in your diet. Build meals around minimally processed foods, eat fruit and vegetables with your meals, and drink water instead of sugary drinks. That is easier said than done when more than half of the calories many people eat now come from ultra-processed foods. Still, the direction is clear enough: the less your diet leans on the packet, the better the odds look for your heart.
An occasional biscuit is not the villain here. The signal is about the everyday pattern, not the odd treat, and it is one most people can shift without overhauling their lives.
People also ask
What counts as ultra-processed food?
Foods put through heavy industrial processing, usually with added sugars, fats, preservatives and artificial ingredients. Common examples are sugary soft drinks, packaged snacks like chips and biscuits, instant noodles, and processed meats like sausages and deli slices.
How much higher was the risk?
People with the highest intake of ultra-processed food had about a 19 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease than those with the lowest, tracked over a median of 25 years. That is an association across a population, not a personal guarantee.
Do I need to cut these foods out completely?
The researchers and the British Heart Foundation both stop short of that. The advice is to think about balance: build meals around minimally processed foods, eat fruit and vegetables, and swap sugary drinks for water, rather than aim for zero.
Does this prove ultra-processed food causes heart disease?
No. This was an observational study, so it can show a link but not cause and effect. People who eat the most ultra-processed food often differ in income, exercise and other habits, and no study can fully account for that.
References
- Gauci S, Lotfaliany M, Machado P, et al. Exposure to ultra-processed food and risk of cardiovascular mortality: a prospective cohort study. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology (2025).
- Deakin University. Ultra-processed foods raise heart disease risk and quietly shorten our lives (2025).
- British Heart Foundation. Ultra-processed foods: how bad are they for your health?