If a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer hasn’t encouraged you to cut back on ultra-processed foods, here’s one thing that might give you an extra nudge: These foods may be aging you faster, too.
At least, that’s the major takeaway from research published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Of course, ultra-processed foods make up 70 percent of our food supply, which makes it pretty tricky to avoid them outright. But it’s good to know exactly how these foods may harm your health, especially if you’ve been wanting to cut back on your general ultra-processed food consumption.
Here’s what the study found, plus what a nutritionist wants you to keep in mind when understanding what this means for your health.
Meet the expert: Jessica Cording, RD, CDN, is author of The Little Book of Game-Changers; Keri Gans, RDN, is author of The Small Change Diet
What did the study find?
The study, which was published in December of 2024, analyzed data from nearly 22,500 people who participated in the Moli-sani Study, which is a long-term health study in Europe. The researchers looked at what the participants ate, and analyzed more than 30 biomarkers in the blood to determine their biological ages. (In case you’re fuzzy on the details, biological age is a measure of how old your cells and tissues are; Chronological age is how long you’ve been alive.)
The researchers discovered that people who ate higher amounts of ultra-processed foods had higher biological ages, meaning the genetic makeup of their cells suggested these participants were “older” than they actually were. In fact, the researchers wrote in the study that eating a lot of ultra-processed foods was linked with “an acceleration of biological aging.”
What makes something ultra-processed?
Ultra-processed foods are classified by a system called the NOVA scale, which divides foods into four different categories: unprocessed and minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods.
Here’s what each category entails, according to the scale:
- Unprocessed and minimally processed foods. These are foods that are in their natural state or are barely altered. Things like fresh produce and milk are included here.
- Processed culinary ingredients. These ingredients are made through minimal processing, like pressing, grinding, refining, or milling. That includes ingredients like olive oil and almond flour.
- Processed foods. Processed foods are changed from their natural state, and usually contain things like sugar, oil, salt, or other ingredients. Sweetened fruit juice, bagged frozen vegetables, and canned fish fall into this category.
- Ultra-processed foods. Also known as UPFs, these foods are processed with additional ingredients like artificial colors, flavors, additives, and preservatives for texture and shelf life. These foods usually come in a package, and include things like energy drinks, sweetened cereals, and potato chips.
“Ultra-processed foods have a lot of ingredients and additives but not much nutritional value,” says Jessica Cording, RD, CDN, is author of The Little Book of Game-Changers. “They tend to be high in added sugar, unhealthy fat, and sodium.”
How does eating more ultra-processed food age your cells faster?
This study only found a link between ultra-processed foods and a higher biological age, but it didn’t dive into the biological mechanisms behind this. That said, the researchers pointed out that the lack of nutrition in ultra-processed foods could provide a “weak” link that might explain part of the association. This suggests that biological aging could be influenced by ingredients or components of the foods that don’t offer nutrients, they wrote.
There could be a few reasons for this phenomenon, according to Cording. “Our cells are impacted by various factors, including compounds found in foods or the lack of certain nutrients,” she says. “If someone is eating a lot of ultra-processed foods, they might be crowding out nutrient-dense foods that can protect your body from free radical cell damage.” (Free radicals are unstable atoms that can damage cells, raising the risk of premature aging and developing certain diseases.)
But there may also be something in the ultra-processed foods themselves that’s causing this faster aging, says Keri Gans, RDN, author of The Small Change Diet. “Ultra-processed foods often contain high levels of added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium, all of which can contribute to chronic inflammation in the body,” she says.
What foods should I avoid?
Again, ultra-processed foods make up the bulk of our food supply, making it tricky to entirely weed them out of your diet. But, generally speaking, packaged foods and snacks that don’t look like anything you’d find in nature should be limited as much as possible.
To that effect, Cording suggests zeroing the foods that are good for you first. “I’ve found that when people focus too much on what not to eat, sometimes that can lead to feelings of deprivation,” she says. Gans agrees, and suggests loading up on more antioxidant-rich foods, like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds. “Antioxidants have anti-inflammatory properties, which can reduce oxidative stress in the body,” she says.
Ultimately, Cording recommends trying to get the bulk of your nutrition from whole foods or minimally-processed foods. “When you can do that, it helps crowd out the ultra-processed foods that you want to be limiting,” she says.
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
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