JAKARTA - Not all ultra-processed foods are automatically bad for health. Recent research shows that the quality of nutrition and overall dietary patterns also need to be taken into account.
The three examples mentioned can still support a healthy diet, namely canned nuts, plant-based milk, and breakfast cereals fortified with vitamins.
The Independent, quoted Wednesday, July 29, reported that the findings came from an analysis of more than 200,000 people in three large studies in the United States. The participants' eating habits were monitored for decades, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Participants were divided into four groups based on plant-based diets. The group includes ultra-processed healthy foods, minimally processed healthy foods, ultra-processed unhealthy foods, and minimally processed unhealthy foods.
Plant milk and yogurt are in the ultra-processed healthy group. Fresh fruit and nuts are in the minimally processed healthy group.
Fast food and soda drinks are classified as unhealthy ultra-processed foods. Meanwhile, fruit juice, potatoes, and white rice fall into the minimally processed unhealthy group.
During the study period, 26,209 participants developed cardiovascular disease or disorders of the heart and blood vessels. About 21,000 people had type 2 diabetes, while 55,493 people died.
The results of the study showed the risk of death, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease related to the overall quality of the diet. Those who ate healthier had a lower risk, both ultra-processed and minimally processed foods.
Xiaowen Wang, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Nutrition at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, said many ultra-processed foods are indeed of low nutritional quality and need to be limited. However, the processing itself is not always harmful.
"A healthy plant-based diet, rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and healthy vegetable oils, remains beneficial even if it includes some processed foods," Wang said.
According to Wang, the recommendation to avoid all ultra-processed foods can actually lower the quality of the diet. Because, a number of ultra-processed products are still useful, while foods that are only minimally processed are not necessarily healthy.
Wang asked the public to assess the quality of food as a whole, not just looking at the level of processing. The choice should be directed at nutritious solid foods to help reduce the risk of chronic diseases.
The findings were presented at Nutrition 2026, the American Society for Nutrition's main meeting, on July 28.
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