Is consuming ultra-processed foods related to an increased risk of venous thromboembolisms?

In a recent study published within the Clinical Nutrition Journal, scientists examined the association between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and the chance of venous thromboembolisms using a prospective cohort from the UK (U.K.) Biobank.

Study: Ultra-processed food intake and incident venous thromboembolism risk: Prospective cohort study. Image Credit: beats1/Shutterstock.com

Background

Large-scale industrial food processing has resulted in the excess availability of ultra-processed foods that always have a high energy content in the shape of added sugars and trans and saturated fatty acids, high sodium content, and comparatively low dietary or dietary fiber content.

Many studies have reported the association between consuming ultra-processed foods and a bunch of diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease, heart problems, mental health disorders, and all-cause mortality.

The increased consumption of ultra-processed foods has also directly been linked to abdominal obesity, impaired kidney function, and inflammation, which increase the chance of venous thromboembolism. Venous thromboembolism is a circulatory system disorder that leads to blood clots within the veins and has a high economic burden and mortality risk.

Nevertheless, while evidence indicates that consuming ultra-processed foods is related to venous thromboembolism risk aspects, a shortage of studies has examined the association directly.

In regards to the study

In the current study, the researchers used data from the U.K. Biobank on participants who had accomplished at the very least one dietary recall questionnaire and reported reasonable levels of energy intake. Of those, they excluded individuals who had baseline venous thromboembolism.

The participants were between the ages of 40 and 69 years, and the info was collected between 2007 and 2010.

The dietary intake questionnaire evaluates the 24-hour recall of 206 food items and 32 beverages, including alcoholic beverages. Unlike the food frequency questionnaire, the 24-hour recall dietary intake questionnaire lowers the chance of bias related to multiple measurements.

The food intake is calculated based on the variety of portions of every item after informing the participants in regards to the size of every portion. The intake is then calculated in grams based on the variety of grams in each standard portion size.

The NOVA food classification system, which examines the aim, nature, and extent of commercial processing of food, was used to define ultra-processed foods, and the full intake of ultra-processed foods was determined based on the sum of all of the dietary items that were classified as ultra-processed foods.

The ultra-processed food consumption was analyzed based on five quintiles comprising the variety of servings of ultra-processed foods a day, the full intake of ultra-processed foods in grams, the proportion of ultra-processed foods in grams within the each day food intake, the energy intake from ultra-processed foods in a day, and the proportion of the each day energy intake derived from ultra-processed foods.

Covariates corresponding to age, sex, ethnicity, education levels, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and physical activity levels were extracted from the info.

Moreover, the body mass index and the Townsend deprivation index were also calculated. The International Classification of Disease codes 9 and 10 define venous thromboembolisms and their subtypes, corresponding to pulmonary embolisms and deep vein thrombosis.

Results

The outcomes indicated that an increased intake of ultra-processed foods was related to a better risk of venous thromboembolism, and the association was constant across groups based on sex, age, and body mass index.

The increased risk of venous thromboembolisms related to higher consumption of ultra-processed foods was also observed across the varied measures of ultra-processed food consumption.

Moreover, starting with a baseline of no venous thromboembolism and in comparison with individuals with no incidences of venous thromboembolisms, those that developed venous thromboembolisms were more prone to have been from a lower socioeconomic status and have a smoking habit.

Studies have reported an association between lower socioeconomic status and increased consumption of ultra-processed foods on account of the low price, easy availability, and long shelf lives.

Other than the evidence of increased risk of heart problems related to ultra-processed food consumption, these results suggest a general association between ultra-processed foods and the development of atherosclerosis.

Moreover, despite the moderate association between ultra-processed foods and venous thromboembolism risk, the findings have significant implications for public health, given the widespread and substantial consumption of ultra-processed foods across income groups.

The consumption of ultra-processed foods is believed to have a negative impact on cardiac health on the whole and venous thromboembolisms particularly through various mechanisms, including increased abdominal adiposity, upregulation of inflammatory cytokines, and renal dysfunction.

Conclusions

Overall, the findings indicated that across groups based on socioeconomic status, age, and sex, there existed a moderate association between the increased consumption of ultra-processed foods and a better risk of venous thromboembolism.

The outcomes highlight the necessity to develop a dietary strategy through public information initiatives to teach the population in regards to the health risks of consuming ultra-processed foods.