A major Canadian study links ultra-processed foods to serious health risks, uncovering biological signs of inflammation and metabolic dysfunction that persist regardless of weight or lifestyle.
Chips, frozen pizza, sugary breakfast cereals — these ultra-processed foods are convenient and popular, but a groundbreaking Canadian study has confirmed they are strongly linked to serious health risks.
Researchers at McMaster University explored how diets high in ultra-processed foods (often packed with fat, sugar, and additives) affect key health indicators. They found clear connections between these foods and higher blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, larger waistlines, and increased body mass index (BMI).
This is the first study in Canada to use large-scale population data alongside powerful biomarker analysis to dig into the real impact of ultra-processed foods on our health.
The research team analyzed data from more than 6,000 adults across the country. Participants came from a wide range of ages, health conditions, and income levels. Each person completed a detailed questionnaire as part of the Canadian Health Measures Survey, run by Health Canada and Statistics Canada, and then received in-person health assessments at mobile clinics.
Clear Patterns and Risk Profiles
Individuals who consumed the most UPF were more likely to be men, and to have lower income levels, less education and to have reported lower fruit and vegetable intake. They had significantly higher BMI, waist circumference, blood pressure, insulin, and triglyceride levels than those who consumed the least UPF.
Researchers noted that many links between UPF consumption and cardiometabolic risk factors remained significant even after adjusting for BMI, suggesting that ultra-processed foods may influence health through mechanisms beyond weight gain, such as inflammation, insulin resistance, and poor metabolic regulation – all well-established predictors of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
The associations persisted even after adjusting for physical activity, smoking, the total amount of food consumed and socioeconomic factors including income and education.
“We have this very complex food supply that is more than just the nutritional composition of a food,” explains Anthea Christoforou, an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster University and senior author of the paper.
“It may be about the additives. The way the food is prepared. It’s related to the packaging and the marketing of that food. All these things come together to create this food environment that really affects the healthfulness of our diets.”
Biological Signs of Harm
The study, published in the journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, uncovered a strong association between UPF consumption and the presence of C-reactive protein (CRP), which the liver produces in response to inflammation, as well as an increase of white blood cells.
“These two biomarkers indicate that these foods are causing an inflammatory response in our bodies. In a sense, this suggests that our bodies are seeing these as non-foods, as some kind of other element,” says Christoforou.
UPFs are ready-to-eat, pre-packaged foods, often high in sodium, sugar and unhealthy fats, while being low in fiber, minerals and vitamins. They are often more convenient, heavily marketed, and appeal to time-pressed consumers, factors that may contribute to higher consumption among lower-income groups and growing health disparities.
Researchers point out that such foods have come to dominate the global food supply, particularly in middle- and high-income countries. Canadian study participants consumed an average of more than three servings of UPFs per day, but those who consumed the highest amounts averaged six servings daily, and researchers believe UPFs may be replacing healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables.
A Call for Policy Reform
“Ultra-processed foods are impacting health across all socioeconomic groups,” says Angelina Baric, a graduate student in the Department of Kinesiology at McMaster and co-author of the study. “While some populations are more exposed to these foods, our findings show that the health risks persist independently of income and education. This highlights the need for broad, equitable food policies that protect everyone.”
Health Canada currently recommends reducing the consumption of processed foods as part of its healthy eating guidelines and has begun consultations to develop broader strategies for limiting UPFs in the Canadian food supply.
“We found consistent evidence that eating ultra-processed foods is associated with cardiometabolic risk factors, which not only reinforces the evidence we have seen linking these foods with rising overweight and obesity rates in Canada and other parts of the world, but also provides more detailed information about what’s happening in the body before a full disease,” says Baric.
In the future, the research team plans to develop a study on children’s eating habits as related to processed foods, and female health, focusing on fertility, menses, and the onset of menopause.
They are also investigating the biological mechanisms by which UPFs may trigger inflammation and metabolic dysfunction and exploring the role of affordability and food environments in driving UPF consumption — with the aim of informing more equitable public health strategies.
Reference: “Ultra-processed food consumption and cardiometabolic risk in Canada: a cross-sectional analysis of the Canadian health measures survey” by Angelina Baric, Vasanti S. Malik and Anthea Christoforou, 7 May 2025, Nutrition & Metabolism.
DOI: 10.1186/s12986-025-00935-y
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16 Comments
Main pic’, Yum, Yum.
Fear not to eat this, because a hamburger with egg and bacon is not ultra-processed food.
You can try to make a healthier version of it.
Like whole wheat bread, fat reduced beef from grass fed cows.
Some veggies, a hamburger sauce made from ketchup and mustard
Your version is only marginally healthier. You have to reduce the Advanced Glycation End-products and Oxysterols. You do that by boiling the burger in 1/8″ of water with a transparent glass lid over the skillet (to insure the water level is maintained and to steam it). Forget the bun. Only cheeses acceptable are cottage, ricotta, or mozzarella…in moderation. The veggies, ketchup and mustard are fine. “Hamburger sauce” may have other things, raising the AGE levels. Most anything with vinegar is fine, unless it is balsamic vinegar, which may have lead. So pickles should be fine.
Bacon is definitely out. That holds the record for AGEs.
Great stuff if you don’t mind having gall bladder attacks, gallstones, liver problems. Just chow down.
It’s one thing to know ultra-processed foods aren’t great, but seeing the actual biological impact — changes in metabolism, hormone disruption, immune response — that’s next-level stuff.
How appropriate that there is a vending machine behind them.
No mention of Advanced Glycation End-products (AGEs) and Oxysterols. These are the things made by processing the food. That is, cooking them at high temperatures, or blending them with a machine. And we know these are terrible, and liked to nearly every disease of aging. Especially: type 2 Diabetes, Kidney Disease, Alzheimer’s, Cardiovascular diseases, even Cataracts, and Wrinkles. AGEs cause inflammation through the RAGE pathway. AGEs lodge in the intercellular matrix, stiffening tissues and obstructing the flow of molecules in tissues.
They did an interesting test with mice. Instead of just giving the mice high levels of AGEs, they instead cut the normal level they were receiving in their food to roughly 1/2. They were all thinner, healthier, with no metabolic diseases, low inflammation and lived longer than controls.
There are AGEs in virtually all foods. But the levels can be wildly different.
Same pattern in humans. Scientists have a device, you just set your arm in, and it can measure the AGEs as they glow in a specific wavelength of light. And the higher the AGEs, the more and worse the usual negative aging health conditions. It is called an AGE Reader…No, I don’t sell the blasted things.
Not approved in the US for whatever reason, but approved in the EU. Hopefully just the usual delays and we will have it soon.
I noticed biohacker Brian Johnson has one. The rich can get anything. A routine physical in my opinion should use half a dozen advanced machines including that, in addition to the usual stuff…but that is another topic.
But never mind that, we need the AGEs listed on the labels of the foods we buy. Say: “(a measure of processing)” next to it, so people understand why it is there. We say “processed food”/”ultra-processed food” is bad, but we give consumers no way to compare the level of processing between foods.
Those who are interested in limiting UPFs can just read the ingredients to work out an approximate level of processing.
Avoiding additives is simple. Just don’t buy food that has extra ingredients in it, like for example, carrageenan, bad stuff – found in whipping cream, chocolate milk, cream cheese and other things.
If you wouldn’t buy an ingredient on its own and eat it then don’t accept it as an ingredient in your food.
You have to buy organic, hunt for additive free stuff, but it’s worth it.
Sad big ag and pharma are reaping benefits.
Is groundbreaking about a study that tells us a junk food is bad? Furthermore you still didn’t determine is it the sugar the fat or the additives? Again and you’re also not eliminating the other factors you’re just including them in the study so if someone so some of the people were smokers and some weren’t how is that even a valid comparison for example it’s not. Are there any real scientists to left on Earth. Geez…. there’s literally nothing groundbreaking here
They controlled for a range of lifestyle factors including smoking, obesity, activity levels, income.
You’re missing the point
Gfy, clown
Is groundbreaking about a study that tells us a junk food is bad? Furthermore you still didn’t determine is it the sugar the fat or the additives? Again and you’re also not eliminating the other factors you’re just including them in the study so if someone so some of the people were smokers and some weren’t how is that even a valid comparison for example it’s not. Are there any real scientists to left on Earth. Geez…. there’s literally nothing groundbreaking here.
Ps do your job you’re getting paid for and don’t have ai write your articles for you cuz they sound tart.
Gfy, clown