Home Cooking Vs Processed Food Products

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"While the telomeres do not contain genetic information themselves, they are vital for preserving the stability and integrity of chromosomes, and by extension, the DNA that every cell in our body relies on to function. As we get older, our telomeres get shorter since each time a cell divides, part of the telomere is lost, thus telomere length is considered to be a marker of biological age. In this cross-sectional study of elderly Spanish subjects, we showed a robust association between ultra-processed food consumption and telomere length."                                                                 "Further research in larger longitudinal studies with baseline and repeated measures of telomere length is needed to confirm these observations."                   Research, University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

Canadians get nearly half of their total calories from ultra-processed foods, according to previous research from Heart & Stroke. Photo by David Ryder /Getty Images

A year ago, Spanish researchers published findings -- after following 19,899 people over a two-decade period -- that appeared in the British Medical Journal. Researchers from Navarra University sorted processed foods into categories ranging from unprocessed to ultra-processed, four groups in all, to discover that the latter group linked people to early deaths. Five or more servings of ultra-processed foods consumed daily had the result of increasing mortality risk by 62 percent, each additional serving increasing mortality risk by 18 percent. Cancer was seen as the major cause of death, at an average age 58.

According to the May 2019 report: “Processed meats, sugar sweetened beverages, dairy products, and French fries were the main foods contributing to the ultra-processed food consumed". The study pinpointed a wide range of processed foods covering all categories, including chocolate, cookies, potato chips, pizza, meatballs, doughnuts, mayonnaise, margarine, breakfast cereals, milkshakes, soda and sweetened drinks, chicken nuggets, croissants and pastries, processed meats, instant soups, ice cream, and distillation-produced alcohol. 

Researchers at the University of Paris and the University of Montpellier also published the results of a study monitoring dietary habits of 105,159 people over age 18 between the years 2009 and 2018. The conclusion of this study resulted in the finding of a clear link between ultra-processed food consumption and cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease is known to be the main cause of worldwide deaths. "This report is based on an associative study which would normally lead to or be the start of more detailed research. Health professionals continue to promote a combination of a healthy lifestyle and meat has its place in a balanced diet", commented a spokesperson for the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, a UK farming body.

More latterly, researchers from the University of Navarra presented a more recent study at the online European and International Conference on Obesity, the study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, where researchers concluded that those who consume over three servings of ultra-processed foods each day are twice as likely to have shortened telomeres, the protein structure at each end of a chromosome, acting as protection for the chromosome, which researchers recognize as an indicator of aging.

Ultra-processed foods could be linked to ageing cells. (iStock). 

The research analyzed 645 men and 241 women with an average age of 67.7 years, to discover that as consumption of ultra-processed foods increased. the likelihood of having shortened telomeres did as well. "Medium-low" consumption with 2-2.5 servings daily held an increased risk of 29 percent, while "medium-high", with 2-5.3 daily servings saw that risk rise to 40 percent. "High", with over 3 servings daily, saw the consequential risk rise to 82 percent.

As well, an association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and depression, hypertension, overweight/obesity and premature mortality were all identified by the researchers. The Heart & Stroke Association has advice for those concerned enough to avoid frequent ultra-processed foods consumption; to cook at home more frequently, to eat with others and become more wary of food marketing ploys. Items marketed as "wholesome", "nourishing", and "organic", may be anything but.