Sept. 29 (UPI) — New research shows that the biggest consumers of ultra-processed foods have “significantly elevated” levels of a protein associated with systemic inflammation that can signal cardiovascular disease.
A brief, observational study conducted by researchers at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and published in The American Journal of Medicine on Sept. 3 finds a correlation between those whose diets had the most UPFs and worrying levels of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), a well-known marker of inflammation and a strong predictor of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
The results have “important implications” in understanding the health risks of UPFs, the authors said while urging doctors to “actively engage” with their patients about the risks of UPFs and benefits of increasing whole food consumption.
The definition of ultra-processed foods were based “Group 4” of the NOVA classification system, which includes such products as sugar-sweetened soft drinks, sweet packaged snacks, processed meat products and pre-prepared frozen dishes, usually containing various kinds of additives and preservatives…