Ultra-processed
foods are industrially manufactured substances composed of some mix of oils,
fats, sugars, starch and proteins that contain little if any whole or natural
foods.
They often include
artificial flavourings, colourings, emulsifiers, preservatives and other
additives that increase shelf-life and profit margins.
These properties
mean that such foods are nutritionally poor compared to less processed
alternatives. Earlier studies have shown strong correlations between
ultra-processed foods and hypertension, obesity, depression, type 2 diabetes
and some forms of cancer. These conditions are often age-related in so far as
they are linked to oxidative stress and inflammation.
Also, people who
eat a lot of industrially processed junk food are more likely to exhibit a
change in their chromosomes linked to ageing, according to a research.
Three or more
servings of so-called "ultra-processed food" per day doubled the odds
that strands of DNA and proteins called telomeres, found on the end of
chromosomes, would be shorter compared to people who rarely consumed such
foods, scientists reported at the European and International Conference on
Obesity.
Short telomeres
are a marker of biological ageing at the cellular level, and the study suggests
that diet is a factor in driving the cells to age faster.
As we get older,
our telomeres shorten naturally because each time a cell divides, part of the
telomere is lost. That reduction in length has long been recognised as a marker
of biological age.
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