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Ultra-processed foods include sugary cereals, processed meats, fast food, soft drinks, and frozen ready meals among others.
Many of these foods are of low nutritional value.
An umbrella review by Australian and international researchers published in the British Journal of Medicine looked at previous research on the topic.
Dr Daisy Coyle, a Research Fellow and Accredited Practicing Dietitian at The George Institute for Global Health has taken a closer look at the study which shows a direct link between eating these foods and a range of medical conditions.
"I think the main thing from this study that's new is the list of the 32 health outcomes that have been associated with ultra-processed foods. Some of the previous studies have focused on a certain disease area, whereas this is quite a comprehensive review that looked at a range of different health outcomes. And those 32 came out as having an association with ultra-processed food consumption. And the top two health outcomes that are linked to ultra-processed foods are increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease as well as mental health disorders, including anxiety."
While this kind of study can't conclusively link ultra-processed foods with health problems, there is evidence that eating these foods does contribute to a number of medical conditions.
The review articles discussed in the study were all published in the past three years and involved almost 10 million participants.
None were funded by companies involved in the production of ultra-processed foods.
Dr Alan W Barclay is a Honorary Associate at the University of Sydney, a consultant dietitian, nutritionist and chef.
He says providing healthier eating options for people is a complex issue, with socioeconomic factors a key issue.
"It's been shown that if you have a diet very low in ultra-processed foods or in other words one that's based on minimally processed foods, it can cost around 70 Australian dollars extra a week than one that's much higher in ultra-processed foods. And of course the other interesting finding is that we know that older people consume far less ultra-processed foods than younger people. And I suspect there's an affordability side of things there because we all know that younger Australians are under severe financial stress at the moment because of housing inequality and various other issues."
Dr Daisy Coyle agrees money is an issue when it comes to eating well.
Dr Coyle says if a tax is placed on ultra processed foods making them a less attractive purchase, than there should also be a flipside.
Subsidies for healthy food, like fresh fruit and veggies, could make them easier and more affordable to eat.
"I did some research a couple of years ago to look at purchases of ultra processed foods across Australian households, and what I found is, which is quite alarming, is that half of what we buy at the supermarket is ultra processed foods. And we know that lower socioeconomic households purchase more ultra-processed foods. So when it comes to thinking about how we actually tackle this problem, I think it's really important that we take that equity angle into account. It's not fair to make ultra processed foods more expensive without making the healthier alternatives cheaper."
Dr Barclay says older Australians are also more likely to have better food preparation skills than younger people who may be time poor due to long commutes between work and home.
"People really don't know what foods are healthy and how to prepare them and they don't have the time. So I think rather than slapping warning labels on things, which is really I think quite confronting and a very negative way of dealing with things, I think we should be investing in people's food literacy. In their ability to select and prepare healthier foods to make them from scratch rather than just tell them this is no good. We've got to address the whole issue with respect to time management. Commutes, particularly in some of the larger Australian cities, could be up to an hour or more in each direction."
Ultra-processed foods also tend to be low in vitamins and fibre and high in added fat, sugar and or salt.
Their consumption is also rapidly increasing in many low and middle income countries.
Dr Coyle says there's emerging research about the addictive qualities of many of these foods.
"Now, that wouldn't be the case for all of them necessarily, but really the addictive nature of many of these foods comes down to the fact that they're made in factories where food companies can really make these foods sort of perfect towards what we like as humans. We really like when there's sort of that sweet spot where things are salty enough and sugary enough. And we often find a lot of these foods are exactly like that, like chips. Chips are not just salty, they're also sweet and you buy them once or you buy a packet, you go, oh, I'll have a few and then put it away. And you just don't, can't stop eating. Same with things like biscuits and confectionery too."
Dr Coyle says these foods are addictive with experts not yet sure what ingredients make them so addictive.
Is there a safe way to indulge in these foods without potentially compromising your health?
Dr Evangeline Mantzioris, the Program Director of the Nutrition and Food Sciences Degree at the University of South Australia, says the answer varies.
"It depends on the person's individual health problems. So if there's a history of medical problems in the family, the intake probably should be as low as possible. What is a safe level? I don't think we have the answer to that yet, but what everyone should try to do is try to eat as less of it as possible. And so even if you drop your intake by one or two serves a day, that's going to be better from where you were. Because this research also showed that the higher your intake of ultra processed foods, the higher your risk was for each of these diseases. So just swapping something out and introducing a piece of fruit or a vegetable would be a great start for people."
The study is calling for public policies and action on ultra-processed foods, including front-of-pack labels, restricting advertising and prohibiting sales in or near schools and hospitals.
The study's authors are also calling for United Nations agencies to implement a global framework similar to that seen with tobacco products.
