Health Hazards of Ultra-Processed Foods and The Challenges Facing Humanity

Abstract

Over the past few years, researchers have proposed a food sort system depend on the level of processing, called NOVA, which includes four parts: low-processed foods, processed cooking sauces, processed foods and ultra-processed foods (UPFs). These foods were developed to meet the increasing pace of life. Initially, they were only used to supplement energy in special situations, but in recent years they have become an indispensable source of food, such as ice cream and chocolate. Studies by various researchers have shown that it is associated with many health problems: obesity, cardiovascular diseases and even cancer. The incidence of cancer soars with the proportion of UPFs in a person's dietary, especially for ovarian cancer. For every 10% rise in the ingestion of UPFs, there was a 6% growth in entire cancer mortality. This is a serious health risk for people. This article summarizes the current influences of UPFs on human life, in particular the major health impacts, and predicts their future trends.