How people get it: Free. A change in what you eat.
The basics
What it is
- Ultra-processed foods can be very tasty and convenient, but are high in calories and often lack important nutrients and fiber.
- Their ingredients are based on forms of fats, sugar, salt and other parts of food that make them last longer and more convenient.
- Common examples include sandwiches and burgers, sweet baked goods, salty snacks and sugary drinks.
- A review of studies sorted foods as ultra-processed using the Nova food classification system.
Sources: CDC: How Much Ultra-Processed Food Are People Eating in the United States? | NCHS Blog ↗ · PubMed abstract: Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. ↗
What the research has found so far
- A U.S. survey from 2021 to 2023 found people ages 1 and older got about 55% of daily calories from ultra-processed foods.
- Young people ages 1 to 18 got 61.9% of their calories from these foods, while adults got 53%.
- The share of calories from these foods fell for adults from 55.8% to 53% between 2017-2018 and 2021-2023.
- An umbrella review (a review of reviews) found links between ultra-processed foods and 32 health measures, including death, cancer and heart, mental and metabolic problems.
- That review found convincing evidence linking more ultra-processed food to higher risk of heart disease death and type 2 diabetes.
- A review of cancer studies found a 10% rise in ultra-processed food in the diet was linked to higher overall cancer risk.
- That review also linked high intake to higher risk of colorectal and pancreatic cancer.
- The cancer review noted limits in the studies, such as likely misclassification of some foods as ultra-processed or not.
Sources: CDC: How Much Ultra-Processed Food Are People Eating in the United States? | NCHS Blog ↗ · PubMed abstract: Ultra-processed food exposure and adverse health outcomes: umbrella review of epidemiological meta-analyses. ↗ · PubMed abstract: Ultra-processed food consumption and cancer risk: A systematic review and meta-analysis. ↗
On ultra-processed food and aging, PubMed lists 17 trials in people, 298 studies that watched people over time, 3 animal and lab studies. See the counts and searches
Stage 4 because it is recommended in the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025–2030 (limit highly processed foods). See the source ↗
A stage shows how far research has got, not whether it will work for you. How stages work
Questions to ask your doctor
- Is my exposure to ultra-processed food something to think about, given my health?
- Is there a test that measures it, and would it tell us anything useful?
- Which ways of lowering exposure are worth the effort, and which aren't?
- Is anything in my home, work or diet likely to be a big source?
This is general information gathered from the sources listed, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before starting anything new.
What experts say
No expert views collected yet. Each one we add names the person and links to where they said it.
What others are writing
Recent articles about Ultra-processed food from health journalists, hospitals and universities. We link to them; we don't write or endorse them.
Ultra-processed food: Five things to know ↗
“Such food now accounts for nearly 60% of U.S. adults’ calorie consumption. Among American children, that portion is close to 70%. In other words, ultra-processed food is starting to overwhelm the American diet.”
The article explains what ultra-processed food is, why it is linked to poor health, and how to eat healthier around it.
Health effects of ultra-processed food: uncovering causal mechanisms ↗
“A 2025 randomized controlled trial has shown the harmful effects of UPFs on weight gain and metabolic and reproductive health, regardless of excessive caloric intake”
The article says a 2025 trial linked ultra-processed food to weight gain and metabolic and reproductive harm, even without excess calories.
Ultra-processed foods linked to poor health outcomes ↗
“People who eat higher amounts of ultra-processed foods - which tend to be high in sodium, sugar, and unhealthy fats - face higher risks of a host of health problems, according to an analysis published May 7, 2025, in Nutrition and Metabolism .”
People who eat more ultra-processed foods face higher risks of many health problems, according to a 2025 Canadian analysis.
Recent research
New studies that mention Ultra-processed food appear here after the morning update.
Trials
None of the registered trials of Ultra-processed food is one we have linked as aging-related yet.
ClinicalTrials.gov lists 149 registered trials that mention Ultra-processed food, for any condition (the count in The science below). Here we show the ones about aging. See them all ↗
The science
Counted from PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov on Oct 30, 2026, using one search for Ultra-processed food in relation to aging. Each link opens the exact search.
- Randomized trials in people
- 16 search ↗
- Large trials (multicenter or phase 3)
- 4 search ↗
- Phase 3 trials
- 0 search ↗
- Trials in people
- 17 search ↗
- Studies that watched people over time
- 298 search ↗
- Animal and lab studies
- 3 search ↗
- Registered trials
- 149 search ↗
PubMed search used
("ultra-processed food*"[tiab] OR "ultraprocessed food*"[tiab] OR "ultra-processed diet"[tiab] OR "highly processed food*"[tiab]) AND (aging[tiab] OR ageing[tiab] OR longevity[tiab] OR healthspan[tiab] OR "older adults"[tiab] OR "older people"[tiab] OR elderly[tiab] OR "Aged"[mh])
Counts are search results, so they include some records that only mention Ultra-processed food. How we count
Cite or share this page
Longevity Progress. (n.d.). Ultra-processed food: Research stage and evidence. Retrieved October 30, 2026, from https://longevityprogress.com/treatments/ultra-processed-food
<iframe src="https://longevityprogress.com/embed/stage/ultra-processed-food" title="Ultra-processed food: research stage on Longevity Progress" width="340" height="72" style="border:0" loading="lazy"></iframe>
The badge shows this treatment's current research stage and links back here. It updates by itself when the stage changes.