Ultraprocessed Foods and Their Association With Cardiometabolic Health: Evidence, Gaps, and Opportunities: A Science Advisory From the American Heart Association
Vadiveloo MK, Gardner CD, Bleich SN, Khandpur N, Lichtenstein AH, Otten JJ, Rebholz CM, Singleton CR, Vos MB, Wang S, American Heart Association Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Genomic and Precision Medicine; and Stroke Council
Circulation · 27 citations
Review labels
Neutral facts our review recorded about how this study was done. They describe method, never whether we like the result.
How it was studied
- Design
- Expert or government fact sheet (classified by our AI screen)
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
- Intake measured by
- Not stated
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Funding not disclosed
Publication
- Published
- 2025-08-08 · Circulation · vol. 152 · issue 12 · pp. e245–e263
- Publisher
- Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
- Cited
- 17 citations · more than 99% of similar papers · 15.3× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 167 works
- Access
- Free to read
- Research areas
- Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Nutritional Studies and Diet · Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Keywords
- Medicine, Environmental health, Affect (linguistics), Unintended consequences, Public health, Saturated fat, Public economics, Nursing, Psychology
- MeSH
- humans, cardiovascular diseases, nutritive value, nutrition policy, food handling, american heart association, united states, cardiometabolic risk factors
10 authors
- Maya K. Vadiveloo
- Christopher D. Gardner
- Sara N. Bleich
- Neha Khandpur
- Alice Hinda Lichtenstein
- Jennifer J. Otten
Abstract
Ultraprocessed foods and beverages (UPFs) pose a growing public health challenge. Commonly defined by the Nova system, UPFs are industrially processed products made with additives or ingredients not commonly used in home cooking. Although ultraprocessing or extensive processing can lower cost and improve shelf life, convenience, and taste of certain products, high UPF intake is consistently linked to negative health outcomes. Although mechanisms remain unclear, evidence supports food policies that limit UPF intake while avoiding unintended consequences. Identifying high-risk UPF subgroups is essential to balancing nutritional goals with the need for accessible and appealing food options. Most UPFs overlap with foods high in saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium, which are already targets for cardiometabolic risk reduction. Future priorities include uncovering how UPFs specifically affect cardiometabolic health, refining dietary guidance to discourage nutrient-poor UPFs, and clarifying the impact of UPFs with more favorable profiles. This science advisory reviews current evidence on UPFs and their impact on cardiometabolic health and outlines research needs, regulatory reform, and policy changes needed to affect better dietary intake and overall health.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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