Overview
- Researchers presented the results at Nutrition 2026 on Tuesday, July 28, 2026, after analyzing more than 200,000 U.S. adults tracked from the 1980s through the 2020s.
- Across the cohorts about 26,209 people developed cardiovascular disease, roughly 21,000 developed type 2 diabetes, and 55,493 died, and risk tracked more closely with overall diet quality than with how processed foods were.
- The team separated diet quality from processing using plant-based diet indices and NOVA categories and found similarly low or high risk within healthy and unhealthy diet groups regardless of processing level.
- Researchers noted that some ultra-processed foods such as fortified wholegrain cereals, plant-based milks and yoghurts, canned beans and wholegrain bread can support a healthy diet while many UPFs remain nutritionally poor.
- The study is observational and presented as a conference abstract, so authors recommend that guidelines focus on nutrient-dense eating patterns and on encouraging packaged-food reformulation rather than advising universal avoidance of UPFs.