Ultra Processed Food Accelerates Biological Aging and Increases Cancer Risk
One of the growing problems MAHA will need to confront, if they are genuine, is not only the rapid aging of the population caused by below replacement birth rates making seniors a larger portion of the population but also the rapid aging of the population caused by ultra processed foods constituting the majority of the average American diet. Both are existential crises with inevitable downstream consequences on the future economic prosperity of the country as older and sicker populations will be less productive and incur higher medical costs. The US already spends 17% of its GDP on healthcare and as of FY 2024 congress spends more on mandatory HHS programs (medicare, medicaid and ACA) than the entire discretionary budget. The cardiometabolic diseases that UPF consumption makes more prevalent appear to be a result of accelerated biological aging caused by a form of DNA damage that occurs by having diets that increase oxidative stress. This may be due not only to the poor nutritional content itself but also the endocrine disrupting chemicals used in the process and packaging such as the very ubiquitous class known as phthalates and PFAs.
A Cross-sectional analysis of the Moli-sani Study, a randomized prospective cohort study conducted in the Molise region of Italy between 2005 and 2010 (n = 24,325) found that diets consisting of UPF for at least 14% of total energy intake is associated with accelerated biological aging across 36 blood biomarkers. Notably, the authors found that nutritional content of UPF did not account for most of this association suggesting that factors other than nutrition make UPF items lead to accelerated biological aging.
The permanent cross-sectional SUN Project study conducted among elderly participants older than 55 years of age who provided saliva samples and filled out the food frequency questionnaire (n = 886) found that UPF consumption of more than three daily servings, the highest quintile, is associated with higher odds of shorter telomere length, a biomarker of biological aging, even after adjusting for multiple genetic and lifestyle covariates.
The cross-sectional Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) (n = 840) did not use the NOVA classification system to define UPF but found that among 4 common dietary patterns found that processed meats were significantly associated with a higher rate of telomere shortening after multivariable adjustment. Diets consisting of whole grains, nuts, fish, fruit, and vegetables were inversely associated with the rate of telomere shortening.
A clinical trial conducted among overweight and obese pregnant women at more than 16 weeks gestation (n = 65) found that decreased consumption of sugar sweetened beverages at 32-34 week gestation baseline was significantly associated with telomere lengthening at 3 months and 9 months post-partum especially among women who cut out two or more daily drink servings.
We also have preliminary evidence that UPF consumption can increase the risk of cancer. A Cross-sectional study of hemoglobin biomarkers for acrylamide and nutrition data from the 2013-16 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (n = 19,357) found a significant monotonic dose response curve between UPF consumption by daily energy intake and hemoglobin biomarkers of acrylamide exposure. Participants in the highest quintile (5th) of UPF consumption by daily energy intake had 9% higher levels of hemoglobin adducts of acrylamide and its metabolite glycidamide compared to participants in the lowest quintile of UPF consumption. However, this difference was only statistically significant among males between 20-39 years of age. Acrylamide is a probable human carcinogen when metabolised into glycidamide with evidence of DNA damage in animal experiments and epidemiological research in human populations.
As I noted in a prior answer, the cost of treating these diseases will triple, quadruple and even centuple in the next quarter century.