Fake Food, Real Harm: Clinical Insights into Ultra-Processed Diets

Fake Food, Real Harm: Clinical Insights into Ultra-Processed Diets

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs), including packaged snacks, sugar-sweetened beverages, ready-to-eat meals and processed meats, have become dominant in modern eating patterns, particularly in high-income countries. Characterised by high levels of added sugars, unhealthy fats, sodium, and synthetic additives, UPFs undergo extensive industrial processing that strips them of nutritional integrity while enhancing shelf life and palatability. Mounting epidemiological and clinical evidence underscores a robust association between high UPF consumption and adverse cardiovascular outcomes.