Eating too much ultra-processed food (UPF) can increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D) by 17%. However, replacing UPF with minimally processed (MPF) or processed foods (PF) may help lower this risk.
A study involving 311,892 participants across eight European countries followed people for an average of 10.9 years. During this time, 14,236 cases of type 2 diabetes were recorded. The participants’ diets were assessed and classified into four categories: unprocessed/MPF, processed culinary ingredients (PCI), PF, and UPF, based on the Nova classification. Researchers analyzed the link between food intake and diabetes risk using various statistical methods.
Key Findings:
- A 10% increase in daily intake of ultra-processed foods was linked to a 17% higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- On the other hand, increasing intake of minimally processed or processed foods by 10% was associated with a lower diabetes risk.
- Replacing UPF with MPF or PF lowered the likelihood of developing diabetes.
Practical Advice:
The study suggests that general recommendations to reduce ultra-processed food consumption should be more specific. Some foods in the UPF category, such as certain breads and cereals, were linked to a lower diabetes risk, indicating that not all UPF should be treated equally.
