American Heart Association issues advisory on ultra-processed foods

The American Heart Association (AHA) has issued its long-awaited advisory on ultra-processed foods and heart health (and the CDC, just in time, says just about everyone consumes more than half their calories as UPFs).

The AHA advisory is complicated, somewhat schizophrenic in my view.

It says UPFs are bad for you but makes a big deal over how some UPFs are good for you.

It does not seem helpful to make a big fuss over the few UPF foods that are nutritious.

I say this for two reasons: The number of foods in that category is small, and a study of the effects of “healthy” UPFs still finds that people eat more calories from them than they would from minimally processed foods (I will write about this study when Nature Medicine publishes it and my accompanying editorial).

The key statement in the AHA report:

A small number of UPF products such as whole-wheat breads and unsweetened soy milk with emulsifiers can support nutrition security in low-income and low-access communities by offering convenient, affordable, and palatable options. However, the strong evidence linking HFSS {high fat, sugar, salt] UPFs to increased cardiovascular risk underscores the need for targeted policy interventions to regulate their availability, marketing, and accessibility in disproportionately affected communities.

The operative word here is “small.” This is a trivial issue, not worth fussing about.

Obviously the AHA committee thought so too.

Here is my translation of the report’s recommendations.

1. Replace most UPFs with real foods.
2. Enact policies to reduce UPFs, like front-of-package labels and taxation.
3. Increase research funding on UPFs and heart health.
4. Get the FDA to do a better job of assessing and regulating food additives.

I can’t argue with that.  Good job!

Resources

• The CNN article on this report (I’m quoted)
• The AHA press release
• The report’s supplemental tables