What's happened
A large US study finds that even some processed foods can be part of a healthy diet. Diet quality matters more than processing level, and avoiding ultra-processed foods entirely could reduce dietary quality. Findings are presented at Nutrition 2026.
What's behind the headline?
Analysis
- The study challenges the blanket dismissal of ultra-processed foods as harmful, suggesting a focus on overall diet quality instead.
- It differentiates between healthy ultra-processed items (e.g., some plant-based milks) and unhealthy minimally processed items (e.g., certain fruit juices, potatoes).
- This could influence public guidance, shifting from a simple “avoid UPF” message to a more nuanced approach.
- Readers should consider the broader diet pattern and nutrient density when choosing foods, rather than basing choices on processing labels alone.
How we got here
Researchers analysed data from more than 200,000 people across three long-term US studies, tracking dietary habits from the 1980s to the 2020s. Participants were categorised by plant-based eating patterns and processing level. The study finds that higher overall diet quality lowers risk of death, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, regardless of processing level.
Our analysis
Independent reports that the risk of death, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease varies with overall diet quality, not simply processing level. Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health's Xiaowen Wang emphasises that processing is not inherently harmful and that a healthy plant-based diet can include processed items. Nutrition 2026 will host the presentation of these findings.
Go deeper
- Could this change future dietary guidelines?
- What are concrete examples of healthy processed foods readers can incorporate?
- How should shoppers assess overall diet quality beyond processing labels?