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Science for Sapiens A year in research (2024)

ating ultra-processed foods like pizza, soft
drinks, and pastries increases body mass
index and blood pressure. This is one of the
conclusions of the study led by researcher
Sandra González Palacios, member of Pro-
fessor Jesús Vioque’s group of the Unit for
Nutrition Epidemiology of the University
E Miguel Hernández of Elche (UMH).

The work, published in the journal Atherosclerosis, evalua-
tes the impact on cardiovascular health of taking ultra-pro-
cessed foods in 5,373 participants over 55 years of age with
metabolic syndrome, belonging to the PREDIMED-Plus in-
tervention project. Professor Jesús Vioque, who leads this
project at the UMH, explains that PREDIMED-Plus is a multi-
centre study to evaluate the effect of an intensive interven-
tion on lifestyle, based on a hypocaloric Mediterranean diet,
physical activity and behavioural treatment on the risk of
cardiovascular events.

According to researcher Sandra González, cardiovascular
diseases are the largest cause of premature mortality in the
world. “However”, the expert explains, “our diet is a modifia-
ble factor that can help prevent the risk of developing these
diseases”. Therefore, it is interesting to evaluate the impact
of foods with a lot of calories and little nutritional value,
such as ultra-processed foods, whose consumption is being
linked to the risk of suffering cardiometabolic diseases by
more and more studies. “These foods provide free sugars,
saturated fats and also showed a low content of other nu-
trients such as fibers, proteins, minerals and vitamins”, re-
ports the study carried out at the UMH.
At the beginning of the study, participants took about 160
grams per day of ultra-processed foods on average. A year
later, consumption dropped significantly to just over 100
grams a day. In addition, after a year of participation, people
with higher intakes of ultra-processed foods had higher body
weight, waist circumference and diastolic tension, as well as
higher blood levels of fasting glucose and triglycerides.
Our diet is a
Study participants who ate more ultra-processed foods
such as pastries, soft drinks, fried snacks, etc. are more li- modifiable factor that
kely to have diabetes and high cholesterol. Therefore, the can help prevent the risk
authors conclude that a higher consumption of ultra-pro-
cessed foods is associated with a worse evolution of cardio- of developing these
vascular risk factors, after a year of follow-up, in adults with diseases
metabolic syndrome.

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