Ultra-Processed Food Diet: A Review ★☆☆☆☆

By R.Davies, PhD・Diet Atlas
Published on May 05, 2026

The ultra-processed food (‘UPF’) diet is not a recommended one. It’s now a modern eating habit that’s dominated by industrially manufactured food products. These products undergo extensive processing and contain ingredients rarely used in home cooking. 

Unlike most traditional diets, which are designed to promote health, UPF diets represent an unintentional dietary shift resulting from the industrialisation of food, clever marketing, and convenience, all at low cost. UPF intake is growing and is currently over 50% total calories in some Western countries.

UPFs are usually defined by the ‘NOVA’ system. They are industrial products often containing five or more ingredients, and ones not used in home cooking (e.g., hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, modified starches, protein isolates, emulsifiers, colourings, artificial flavours and preservatives). Common examples of UPFs include sugary beverages, packaged snacks, microwave snacks, mass-produced breads, breakfast cereals, reconstituted meat products (chicken nuggets, hot dogs), ready-to-eat meals, candy, cookies, ice cream, and most fast food items.

UPFs all have the same traits. They’re designed for convenience (ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat). They’re “hyperpalatable”, high in fat, sugar, and salt. They’re heavily marketed, very profitable for manufacturers, and sometimes positioned as ‘healthy’ through misleading health claims. The extensive processing of UPFs disrupts their natural food structure, concentrating calories, removing fibre (and other nutrients), and creating products that you can eat a lot of without feeling full.

In recent decades, there’s been a shift toward UPF-dominated diets, which has (unsurprisingly) coincided with rising rates of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular and other chronic diseases. The food environment in many developed nations now defaults to UPFs. They're readily available in schools, workplaces, hospitals, vending machines, convenience stores, and restaurants. This makes avoiding them difficult without deliberate efforts.

Pros

The only ‘benefits’ of UPFs is there convenience rather than health. They require little to no preparation time, cooking skills, or equipment, which makes them attractive for people with limited time, a lack of cooking facilities or knowledge, and families managing busy schedules. 

UPFs have extended shelf lives, which reduces food waste and the number of times you have to go shopping. Their widespread availability and relatively low cost (particularly per kcal) make them accessible to people on low incomes and those with limited access to healthy foods.

Cons

The limitations of UPF-dominated diets are severe and well known. The nutritional quality of UPFs is severely compromised as they contain high levels of added sugars, saturated fat, sodium, and calories. They’re usually missing protein (per kcal), dietary fibre, and most essential nutrients. Research has consistently shown that increasing UPF intake is associated with increased risk of nutrient deficiencies.

Weight gain and obesity also represent major concerns. People who consume UPF-based diets eat approximately 500 calories a day more on average and go on to gain weight. Several large-scale studies across multiple countries show strong associations between UPF intake and body fat — the more you eat, the fatter you get.

It’s no surprise that there is also a link between UPF intake and cardiovascular disease. In addition to the increased body fat, UPF intake is also associated with inflammation, a poor gut microbiome, higher exposure to food additives and contaminated packaging, and they also ‘crowd out’ healthier foods. So, in addition to the cardiovascular disease risk, they have also been linked to certain cancers, depression, metabolic health, cognitive function and brain health.

Bottom Line

The UPF diet represents a cautionary tale of modern dietary patterns that are actively harming public health. Robust high-quality evidence consistently links UPFs to increased risks for obesity, cardiovascular disease and many other health issues. They have no benefits beyond their convenience.

Sources

Hall KD et al. Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake. Cell Metab. 2019 Jul 2;30(1):67-77.e3. PMID: 31105044

Lane MM et al. Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. BMJ. 2024 Feb 28;384:e077310. PMID: 38418082

Martini D et al. Ultra-Processed Foods and Nutritional Dietary Profile: A Meta-Analysis of Nationally Representative Samples. Nutrients. 2021 Sep 27;13(10):3390. PMID: 34684391

Monteiro CA, Cannon G, Levy RB, Moubarac JC, Louzada ML, Rauber F, Khandpur N, Cediel G, Neri D, Martinez-Steele E, Baraldi LG, Jaime PC. Ultra-processed foods: what they are and how to identify them. Public Health Nutr. 2019 Apr;22(5):936-941. PMID: 30744710

Pagliai G et al. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health status: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Br J Nutr. 2021 Feb 14;125(3):308-318. PMID: 32792031

Srour B et al. Ultra-processed food intake and risk of cardiovascular disease: prospective cohort study (NutriNet-Santé). BMJ. 2019 May 29;365:l1451. PMID: 31142457

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Published: May 05, 2026

Lead Author: R.Davies, PhD | Author Bio

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