Doctors in the UAE have raised the alarm over the health risks of cheap and convenient ultra-processed foods (UPFs) - after a new study in Canada linked their consumption to more than a third of cardiovascular deaths.
Researchers found such foods often high in sugar and fat content - including ready meals and breakfast cereals - contributed to up to 38 per cent of all cardiovascular deaths and 37 per cent of coronary heart disease and stroke deaths.
Experts, who revealed their findings at the World Obesity Federation’s International Congress on Obesity in Mexico, said more than 8,300 lives in Canada could be saved by halving the amount of UPFs in diets.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), such as coronary heart disease and stroke, are among the leading causes of death in Canada, responsible for about 25 per cent of all deaths annually.
In the UAE, CVD is responsible for around 40 per cent of deaths, making it the nation's leading cause of death.
In February, Abu Dhabi banned the advertising of fast food in an effort to address the dangers of unhealthy diets and reduce rates of obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases.
Dr Wesam Wahid Labib Fahum Khalil, a cardiology specialist at Medcare Royal Speciality Hospital in Dubai, said consuming large amounts of highly processed foods leads to multiple cardiovascular risk factors at a younger age.
“Young people are increasingly at risk because ultra-processed foods are widely available, affordable, heavily marketed, and fit into busy lifestyles,” said Dr Khalil.
“Frequent consumption from childhood or adolescence can lead to weight gain, insulin resistance, and high blood pressure early in life.
“Although cardiovascular disease usually develops over many years, these unhealthy dietary habits accelerate the process.”
Scientists involved in the research, published in The American Journal of Preventive Medicine, said increasing volumes of Upfs entering daily diets were contributing to more cases of disease.
“Ultra-processed food consumption may account for a substantial and potentially preventable contributor to the burden of cardiovascular disease,” said Dr Virginie Hamel from the Centre for Public Health Research at Montreal University.
“These findings reinforce the need for clinical and public health interventions aimed at reducing UPF intake as a key component of cardiovascular disease prevention.”
Dr Fiji Antony, head of department and chief clinical dietitian at NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Nahda Dubai, said the Canadian study reflected patterns of illness seen in UAE patients.
“These findings are consistent with what we see clinically, as patients with diets high in ultra processed foods often have higher rates of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, abnormal cholesterol levels and cardiovascular disease,” she said.
“While this study uses modelling and cannot prove causation, its results align with current evidence linking higher ultra processed food intake to increased heart disease and stroke risk.
“Encouraging a shift towards minimally processed, whole foods remains a key strategy for reducing cardiovascular risk.”
Packaging warnings
Regulations on food taxes, front-of-package labelling, marketing restrictions and reformulation targets aimed at improving food quality were all suggested as possible solutions to bring down current consumption levels.
The authors assessed consumption in Canadians aged over 20 and found UPFs constituted around 43 per cent of total daily energy intake, on average.
Using a comparative risk assessment method, this study estimated that between 23 per cent and 38 per cent of all CVD events in 2019 were attributable to ultra-processed foods.
Model inputs included nationally representative dietary intake data from 2015, national health statistics on CVD, and Canadian data on CVD outcomes sourced from the Global Burden of Disease Study for 2019.
The authors said the results were applicable to other high-income countries such as the UAE, as modelling relied on risk estimates from studies conducted in comparable high-income countries.
Several nations have introduced policies to reduce UPF consumption.
In Chile, front-of-package nutritional warnings reduced purchases of high-calorie foods by around a quarter, while in Mexico, a 10 per cent tax on sugar-sweetened beverages led to a 6.3 per cent reduction in ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption.
A similar sugar tax was introduced in the UAE in 2020. Its effects were highlighted in a World Health Organisation review that reported a drop in sales of sugary drinks from 7.4 per cent to 5.9 per cent.
Supermarket responsibility
Further research discussed at the same obesity conference claimed supermarkets worldwide should be doing more to push consumers towards healthier choices.
Unhealthy processed foods have flooded supermarket shelves in recent years and typically contain high amounts of sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats.
In recent years, supermarkets have introduced a range of voluntary initiatives aimed at improving population diets.
However, evidence suggests measures are often limited in impact and insufficient to drive meaningful and equitable dietary change at scale.
“Supermarkets’ voluntary commitments to promote healthier and more equitable diets aren’t going far enough when it comes to public health goals,” said lead author Professor Adrian Cameron from Australia’s Deakin University Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition.
“When it’s clear retailers won’t take significant action themselves, we need to see governments urgently introduce mandatory, legally binding standards for major supermarkets to address the global pandemic of obesity and other diet-related diseases.”
Experts said the world’s largest supermarket chains, including Walmart, Edeka and Spar, were doing little to help their customers eat healthy diets.
Meanwhile, just two of the world’s 21 largest supermarket chains - Aldi Australia and Lidl Germany - had implemented the most impactful actions to create healthy food environments, experts said.
Commonly consumed ultra-processed foods include sugary soft drinks and energy drinks, fast food, processed meats, packaged crisps, sweets, instant noodles, sweetened breakfast cereals, and commercially baked pastries and desserts.
These foods are typically high in salt, sugar, unhealthy fats, and additives while being low in fibre and essential nutrients.
