Ultraprocessed foods may not directly cause frailty, but a new study suggests they could play a role in how well we move and stay strong as we age.
Researchers analyzing more than a decade of data from the Framingham Heart Study found that adults who ate more ultraprocessed foods tended to walk slightly slower over time. Among men, higher intake was also linked to a modest decline in grip strength.
The study, published in Nutrients, followed 2,547 middle-aged and older adults for nearly 11 years. About 9% of participants developed frailty during that period, but ultraprocessed food intake wasn’t associated with who did or didn’t become frail. Instead, the researchers found subtle changes in mobility and strength that may influence quality of life over time.
“These findings suggest that while ultraprocessed food consumption may not directly raise the risk of frailty, it could still contribute to small declines in mobility and strength,” said Shivani Sahni, Ph.D., director of the Nutrition Program at Hebrew SeniorLife’s Marcus Institute for Aging Research and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
Lead author Elsa M. Konieczynski, M.S., of Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, said emphasizing whole, nutrient-dense foods may help preserve function with age.
The findings add depth to an ongoing debate about ultraprocessed foods, a category that includes everything from frozen meals and soft drinks to fortified breads and plant-based meat alternatives. While studies consistently show that diets dominated by these foods tend to be lower in key nutrients and higher in added sugars or sodium, researchers caution that “ultraprocessed” is a broad definition. Some items in this group, such as whole-grain breads or yogurt, can still contribute positively to nutrition and convenience.
What may matter most, scientists say, is how much of the overall diet these foods make up and what they replace. Diets that emphasize a balance of whole and minimally processed foods, rather than eliminating all packaged options, appear to best support strength, mobility and long-term health.
Researchers say more work is needed to understand the biological mechanisms behind these links, but the results reinforce that dietary quality matters at every stage of life.
This research was conducted by Hebrew SeniorLife’s Hinda and Arthur Marcus Institute for Aging Research, Tufts University’s Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and Harvard Medical School. The authors reported minor, unrelated institutional funding from Dairy Management Inc. and Danone North America.