- A new study suggests that halving the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in Canada could prevent up to 8,300 deaths.
- Researchers estimated that between 23 and 38 per cent of all cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in Canada in 2019 were attributable to UPF intake, corresponding to 58,200 to 96,000 new cases and 10,600 to 17,400 CVD-related deaths.
- The study, published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, indicates that similar results could be expected in other high-income countries.
- “To drive meaningful change in dietary patterns, comprehensive structural measures are essential. These include regulations on food taxes, front-of-package labelling, marketing restrictions and reformulation targets aimed at improving food quality,” scientists wrote.
- An expert unrelated to the study, nutritionist Gunter Kuhnle from the University of Reading, said: “Observational studies can only provide information about an association, but not causality.”
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