Interesting post on BBC news

Mr_Singleton

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-48446924


In my travels around the foodie side of this forum it seems to me that the above would/should be of interest.

Pollycat

How bad were the findings?

The first study, by the University of Navarra, in Spain, followed 19,899 people for a decade and assessed their diet every other year.
There were 335 deaths during the study.
But for every 10 deaths among those eating the least ultra-processed food, there were 16 deaths among those eating the most (more than four portions a day).


The second study, by the University of Paris, followed 105,159 people for five years and assessed their diet twice a year.
It showed those eating more ultra-processed food had worse heart health.
Rates of cardiovascular disease were 277 per 100,000 people per year among those eating the most ultra-processed food, compared with 242 per 100,000 among those eating the least.
Dr Mathilde Touvier, from the University of Paris, told BBC News: "The rapid and worldwide increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods, to the detriment of less processed foods, may drive a substantial burden of cardiovascular diseases in the next decades."

Interesting figures.

Mr_Singleton

So extrapolating the larger French dataset to the UK would suggest that ultra processed food is currently killing around 2500 people a year in the UK. Theres also cost to the NHS of treating the chronic diseases that lead to the deaths i.e diabetes etc.

Pollycat

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

So extrapolating the larger French dataset to the UK would suggest that ultra processed food is currently killing around 2500 people a year in the UK. Theres also cost to the NHS of treating the chronic diseases that lead to the deaths i.e diabetes etc.

'killing'?

I didn't see any death figures in the French study, just "rates of cardiovascular disease".
So .277% of those eating 'ultra processed food' (e.g. sausage, burgers, sugary drinks) against .244% of those eating 'least processed food' (e.g. fruit, vegetables, milk, meat).

I'm not poo-pooing the studies, just taking them as I usually do these things with a (very, very tiny) pinch of salt.

I operate the 'everything in moderation - including moderation' principle towards the foods we eat.

VfM4meplse

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

So extrapolating the larger French dataset to the UK would suggest that ultra processed food is currently killing around 2500 people a year in the UK. Theres also cost to the NHS of treating the chronic diseases that lead to the deaths i.e diabetes etc.

I think we know full well that the government has the power here: processed foods need heavy taxation and that income should be redistributed to subsidize fruit and veg.

It is ridiculous that I can buy my favourite biscuits (what I happen to be nibbling on with my cup of tea, at 94 kcals a piece) for the princely sum of 44p.



Whereas standard chocolate has reached a price point that means I rarely buy it now, probably because I've found something that dents my pockets less. This for me is an absolute standard; I could be earning a seven-figure salary and it would still be the case.

VfM4meplse

Pollycat wrote: »

'killing'?

I didn't see any death figures in the French study, just "rates of cardiovascular disease".
So .277% of those eating 'ultra processed food' (e.g. sausage, burgers, sugary drinks) against .244% of those eating 'least processed food' (e.g. fruit, vegetables, milk, meat).

I'm not poo-pooing the studies, just taking them as I usually do these things with a (very, very tiny) pinch of salt.

I operate the 'everything in moderation - including moderation' principle towards the foods we eat.

The problem is that many people don't - all you need is a pair of eyes in your head to affirm this - and this study precis tells us that people eat more when fed ultra-processed foods.

The first trial of ultra-processed foods showed they led people to eat more and put on weight.

Researchers at the US National Institutes of Health monitored every morsel of food that volunteers ate for a month.

And when given ultra-processed food, they ate 500 calories a day more than when they were given unprocessed meals

As for cardiovascular disease, there is no "just" about it: this is exactly what GPs see day in, day out. There is just too much of it, and we know the lifestyle causes behind it: smoking, obesity / poor dietary choices and lack of exercise. These days it doesn't kill people quite so often, but it can lead to very serious disability which some would say is a worse outcome.

Prinzessilein

I have lost a serious amount of weight...(more than a whole person in weight!)...my Blood Pressure is almost text-book..My Cholesterol is lower than that of my GP

I DO have a number of medical conditions...including a potential life-limiter...but NONE of them are diet-related.

Does this mean my everyday diet is super-healthy?...DOI eschew all super-processed foods and nibble on organic carrotsas my snack of choice between my 3 wholefood meals a day?????

Like fun I do!

I eat 3 meals a day (usually...sometimes just the 2...I do Intermittent Fasting ,so some days skip breakfast)….I prefer homecooked to ready meals...I LOVE my fruit and veggies...my diet is protein, fruit and veg, with moderate portions on unrefined carbs...so far so healthy!...but I also enjoy chocolate..and icecream...and sometimes enjoy a bag of cheese and onion crisps...or a bit of brie with a Digestive....the thing is the last group will not be all eaten every day...the super-processed foods are treats!

Eat healthy 80% of the time , and allow yourself to ENJOY your food!

(OH and disability means exercise is not an option for me either)

VfM4meplse

Prinzessilein wrote: »

I also enjoy chocolate..and icecream...and sometimes enjoy a bag of cheese and onion crisps...or a bit of brie with a Digestive....the thing is the last group will not be all eaten every day...the super-processed foods are treats!

Eat healthy 80% of the time , and allow yourself to ENJOY your food!

(OH and disability means exercise is not an option for me either)

That's the problem: for many of us, these are everyday foods! Eating 2 biscuits at 9am when I'm not even hungry is not a rational decision, its based on availability and sheer greed.

Pollycat

VfM4meplse wrote: »

The problem is that many people don't - all you need is a pair of eyes in your head to affirm this - and this study precis tells us that people eat more when fed ultra-processed foods.

I can only speak for myself.
I rarely eat biscuits when I'm hungry, let alone when I'm not.

VfM4meplse wrote: »

As for cardiovascular disease, there is no "just" about it: this is exactly what GPs see day in, day out. There is just too much of it, and we know the lifestyle causes behind it: smoking, obesity / poor dietary choices and lack of exercise. These days it doesn't kill people quite so often, but it can lead to very serious disability which some would say is a worse outcome.

Maybe a more appropriate word to use would have been 'only' rather than 'just':

Pollycat wrote: »

I didn't see any death figures in the French study, [STRIKE]just [/STRIKE] only "rates of cardiovascular disease".

I was not trivialising cardiovascular disease (did you really think I was? :cool:).
I was simply disagreeing with the use of 'killing' by the OP.
And as you acknowledge above:

VfM4meplse wrote: »

These days it doesn't kill people quite so often, but it can lead to very serious disability which some would say is a worse outcome.

which was rather my point.

Mr_Singleton

Pollycat wrote: »

'killing'?.

The headline in the link was " Ultra-processed food linked to early death"

Pollycat

Mr_Singleton wrote: »

The headline in the link was " Ultra-processed food linked to early death"

Yes, well, we all know that sensationalist headlines get the attention, don't we. :cool:

I wish I had a cream bun for every headline I'd read where the actual article is more toned down.
If I had, I'd be one of the statistics they're talking about.

Did the French study actually mention 'deaths'?
That was my point.