A new clinical consensus statement from the European Society of Cardiology says people who eat more ultraprocessed food tend to face higher risks of cardiovascular disease, including heart disease, atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular death.
Published in the European Heart Journal, the report is not a new clinical trial. Instead, it reviews more than a decade of existing research and concludes that the broader body of evidence has become strong enough that doctors should begin discussing ultraprocessed food intake as part of routine cardiovascular risk conversations.
That does not mean ultraprocessed food alone directly causes heart disease, nor does it mean every ultraprocessed food affects health the same way. Most of the evidence summarized in the report comes from observational studies, which can identify patterns and associations but cannot fully prove cause and effect.
Still, the authors argue that the consistency of the research, across multiple populations and multiple health outcomes, deserves more clinical attention.
According to the report, adults with the highest ultraprocessed food intake had up to a 19% higher risk of heart disease, a 13% higher risk of atrial fibrillation and as much as a 65% higher risk of cardiovascular death compared with those with the lowest intake.
Ultraprocessed food, often shortened to UPF, generally refers to industrially manufactured products made with ingredients, additives or formulations not typically used in home cooking. Common examples can include packaged snacks, sugary drinks, processed meats and some ready-to-eat meals. But this category is broad, and not every ultraprocessed food has the same nutritional profile or health implications.
That nuance matters.
One of the biggest criticisms of ultraprocessed food research is that it can sometimes flatten very different foods into a single category. A packaged whole-grain cereal, a sugary soda and a plant-based meat alternative may all qualify as ultraprocessed under some classification systems, even though their nutrient composition and health roles can differ significantly.
The cardiology group argues that ultraprocessed foods may raise risk partly because they often contain high levels of salt, sugar and unhealthy fats, but also potentially because of additives, altered food structure, contaminants or effects on overeating and metabolism. Researchers say these mechanisms are still being studied.
The report also notes that many national dietary guidelines focus heavily on nutrients like calories, fat or sodium while paying less attention to food processing itself.
That could eventually shift, though experts caution that stronger intervention studies are still needed to determine whether specifically reducing ultraprocessed food intake improves long-term cardiovascular outcomes.
The bigger message may be that heart health conversations are increasingly moving beyond nutrients alone and toward broader questions about food patterns, processing and the systems that shape what people eat.
The authors reported no funding or competing interests related to this clinical consensus statement.