The Aporia · New report reveals serious — even fatal — risks linked to ultra-processed foods

New report reveals serious — even fatal — risks linked to ultra-processed foods

Read the original at The Independent ↗

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Musto, J. (2026, September 25). New report reveals serious — even fatal — risks linked to ultra-processed foods. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/ultraprocessed-foods-study-diet-death-cancer-b3056620.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Quick Summary

A new analysis of over 50 studies involving nearly 9 million adults shows that consuming ultra-processed foods significantly increases health risks. The study found that an ultra-processed-heavy diet raises the risk of cardiovascular events, diabetes, and obesity by about a quarter, depression and anxiety by 27%, digestive diseases by 31%, cancer development by 4% for every additional 100 grams consumed daily, and overall mortality by 3%. Dr. Xiao Liu, lead author from Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, emphasized the importance of reducing ultra-processed foods to improve health.

Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

A new analysis involving nearly 9 million adults from studies across multiple continents reveals that consuming ultraprocessed foods significantly increases health risks. The research, published in September, found that eating more cookies, chips, cakes, pizza, hot dogs, and other similar items raises the risk of chronic illnesses like cardiovascular events, diabetes, and obesity by nearly 25%. Additionally, every extra 100 grams (approximately a small bag of corn chips or a single-serve cup of mini cookies) of these foods per day increases cancer risk by 4% and overall mortality risk by 3%. The study also links higher consumption to increased risks for digestive diseases, depression, anxiety, and metabolic syndrome. Dr. Xiao Liu, the lead author from Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital in China, emphasized that reducing intake of ultra-processed foods and incorporating more vegetables is crucial for improving health outcomes.

Written for “UltraProcessed Foods Health Risks” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.

Compared with similar articles

This article reads unscored and hedges 20% of its claims. Each row says how that neighbour differs.

The more you eat of these popular foods, the greater your risk of serious illness and even death, new report says Same event

The Independent

⚖️ Leans left Hedges 3 of 15 claims Outlet record 59/100

Just one small serving of ultra-processed food a day linked to higher disease risk, major study finds Same event

New York Post

Hedges 6 of 15 claims Outlet record 66/100

Bad news for snack lovers... just an extra 100g of processed food a day linked to risk of cancer, diabetes and death in new study Different event

Daily Mail

⚖️ Leans left Hedges 7 of 24 claims Outlet record 69/100

“While both articles discuss risks associated with eating ultra-processed foods based on recent studies, they do not describe the exact same specific study or publication.”

How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

Signals How these are calculated →

Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

20%

3 of 15 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

withheld

no quote in the article backed the model's score

Publisher signals

59/100

The Independent's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Health

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-25 · how these are computed

How this is being covered How these are calculated →

Article leaning vs. publisher reliability

Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

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Running correction rate · 9 correction(s)

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Who wrote this

Julia Musto

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 38 articles by Julia Musto →

Topics

ABC News American Independent Stanford Medicine Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital

Subjects

ABC News ORG · 1× American NORP · 1× Dariush Mozaffarian PERSON · 1× Food is Medicine Institute ORG · 1× Independent ORG · 1× Stanford Medicine ORG · 1× Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital ORG · 1× Tufts University ORG · 1× Xiao Liu PERSON · 1×

Narrative

A diet that has more cookies, chips, cakes, pizza, hot dogs and other salty and sweet goods – such as candy-filled grilled cheese sandwiches – can greatly raise your risk of chronic illness, a new analysis of more than 50 studies, including nearly 9 million adults, reveals.

framing: assertive · carried by 2 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-24

🔮 “In our modern society, our diet and food is maybe not safe … we should eat more vegetables and reduce the ultra-processed food to make us healthier,” Dr. Xiao Liu, lead author of the study and a physician at Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, told ABC News on Tuesday.

2026-09-24 · The Independent

The more you eat of these popular foods, the greater your risk of serious illness and even death, new report says · assertive framing

2026-09-25 · The Independent

New report reveals serious — even fatal — risks linked to ultra-processed foods · assertive framing

Claims (15 extracted, 3 hedged)

There’s now even more evidence that eating ultraprocessed foods is bad for your health. asserted

eating → ’ → health

analysis → have → adults

An ultra-processed-heavy diet increased the risk of cardiovascular events, diabetes and obesity by nearly a quarter. asserted

diet → increase → quarter

It also raised the risk of depression and anxiety by 27 percent and suffering a digestive disease by 31 percent. asserted

It → raise → percent

And every extra 100 grams of these foods a day elevated the risk of developing cancer by 4 percent, and the risk of death by any cause by 3 percent. asserted

grams → elevate → percent

“In our modern society, our diet and food is maybe not safe … we should eat more vegetables and reduce the ultra-processed food to make us healthier,” Dr. Xiao Liu, lead author of the study and a physician at Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, told ABC News on Tuesday. asserted

Liu → eat → Tuesday

The researchers also noted that emerging evidence suggests combining additives in ultraprocessed foods could have a “cocktail effect” on human health, combining to create a stronger, toxic impact. uncertain

combining → note → impact

Past studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods affect the gut, promote inflammation tied to cancer and insulin resistance that leads to diabetes, the researchers said. asserted

researchers → show → diabetes

In addition, compounds that may form during food processing have been associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease, they added. uncertain

they → form → disease

How often people ate these foods was recorded in journals and questionnaires, though the researchers note that means their assessment relies on subjective information. asserted

assessment → eat → information

Some 60 percent of the American diet is ultraprocessed, Stanford Medicine says, with ultraprocessed foods often cheaper to buy than healthier options. asserted

foods → say → options

Ultraprocessed foods are made with sodium, added sugars and refined grains, as well as industrial ingredients that enhance taste and texture. asserted

that → make → taste

However, not all ultraprocessed foods are considered junk foods. asserted

foods → consider → ?

Still, June research from Tufts University has revealed that people who ate more ultraprocessed foods had worse health outcomes — even after accounting for the overall nutritional quality of the foods. asserted

who → reveal → foods

“The findings suggest ultra-processed-food factors beyond nutrients – such as changes to foods’ cellular structure, loss of beneficial chemical compounds, additives and chemicals from packaging – may create health risks not addressed by traditional nutrition metrics or policies,” that study’s senior author, cardiologist Dariush Mozaffarian, director of the university’s Food is Medicine Institute, said in a statement. uncertain

author → suggest → statement