Many researches have indicated that consuming some foods, most notably sugary or artificially sweetened beverages and processed meats, is associated with an increased risk of heart disease.
According to a study conducted by the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, researchers tracked the intake of ultra-processed foods in more than 200,000 health care workers, and followed their cases for nearly three decades to see if they developed diseases. Heart or stroke.
Consuming sugary or artificially sweetened beverages and processed meats may increase the risk of heart disease, as they typically contain excess calories, added sugars, sodium and unhealthy fats, researchers said.
The study authors divided these foods into 10 groups:
Breads and cereals (with subgroups of breakfast cereals, dark breads, wholemeal breads and breads made from refined grains)
Sauces, fats and seasonings
Packaged snacks and sweets
Delicious packed snacks
Sugar-sweetened drinks
Red meat, poultry and processed fish
Ready or hot food dishes.
Desserts based on yogurt and dairy
Artificially sweetened drinks.
Researchers determined that not all trans foods are unhealthy. Savory snacks, cold cereals, yogurt-based desserts, and dairy products were associated with a lower risk of heart disease, and ultra-processed breads and cold cereals were associated with a lower risk of stroke.
This comes amid continued warnings by nutritionists against sugar-sweetened soft drinks and processed meats, as excessive consumption of added sugar may lead to chronic inflammation of the heart and blood vessels and increase the risk of diabetes.
Processed meats, on the other hand, are preserved by salting, curing, smoking, or adding chemical preservatives, and salt can increase blood pressure while saturated fat can raise cholesterol.
