Lancet Series Links Ultraprocessed Diets to Disease, Calls for Global Action

Overview

• A systematic review of 104 prospective studies reported that 92 linked higher intake of ultraprocessed foods to increased risk for at least 12 conditions, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, depression and premature all-cause mortality.
• Consumption has climbed across 93 countries, exceeding half of daily calories in the United States and United Kingdom and rising from about 10% to 23% in Brazil and Mexico over roughly four decades.
• Researchers argue harms stem not only from nutrient profiles but also from disrupted food matrices, multiple additives and contaminants formed during processing or leaching from packaging.
• The series underscores an estimated $1.9 trillion in annual sales for ultraprocessed products and details marketing, lobbying and industry-funded research that obstruct effective regulation.
• Proposed measures include front-of-pack warnings for ultraprocessed items, restrictions on advertising, selective taxes to fund healthier foods, bans in schools and hospitals citing Brazil’s 90% fresh-food school target for 2026, and a new UPF Network Action to coordinate monitoring and advocacy.