\nUltra-processed food, even if it\u2019s seemingly healthy, is associated with higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in people with type 2 diabetes, a new study finds.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nEven if something appears to be healthy, like fruit yogurt, people with diabetes may need to take a closer look at how processed the item is.\n<\/p>\n \nThe new research, published last month in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, <\/em>found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) was associated with higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality for people with type 2 diabetes, even when people\u2019s diet quality was otherwise considered healthy.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nPrevious dietary recommendations for preventing and managing type 2 diabetes have focused almost exclusively on less processed, nutritionally balanced foods that fit into a dietary pattern like the Mediterranean or DASH diet, explained lead study author Marialaura Bonaccio, PhD, from the Department of Epidemiology and Prevention at the IRCCS Neuromed Mediterranean Neurological Institute.\n<\/p>\n \nBut, even healthy foods may become problematic when exposed to high degrees of processing.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cRating foods on the basis of their nutritional content alone is thought to have some important limitations since other non-nutritional aspects are relevant to health,\u201d Bonaccio said.\n<\/p>\n \nNon-nutritional aspects include how many steps of processing are involved in taking a food from its original form to its finished state, or how many additives are used.\n<\/p>\n \nThink: vegetables that get turned into veggie chips or whole grains that are processed into granola bars.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cOur findings suggest that people with type 2 diabetes should not only pay attention to the nutritional composition of foods but also contextually limit consumption of UPFs,\u201d Bonaccio said.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Getty Images \/ Hispanolistic<\/p>\n <\/span> <\/span> <\/p>\n \nIn order to best understand the connection between ultra-processed foods and heart disease in people with type 2 diabetes, it\u2019s helpful to realize that these individuals are more vulnerable to cardiovascular disease in general.\n<\/p>\n \nA 2018 study in Cardiovascular Diabetology<\/em> found that overall CVD affects approximately 32.2% of all people with type 2 diabetes.<\/span> This is compared to 5.5% prevalence in the general population, this number is quite high.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cPeople diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have twice the risk of developing CVD than those who do not have diabetes,\u201d dietitian and certified diabetes educator Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDCES, LDN, CPT, author of 2 Day Diabetes Diet<\/em>, told Health<\/em>.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cInsulin resistance can increase the risk of CVD, and co-morbidities associated with diabetes including hypertension and obesity can further increase disease risk.\u201d\n<\/p>\n What Is Hypertension?<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nWhen it comes to heart health in people with diabetes, diet matters\u2014and, according to Bonaccio and her colleagues\u2019 research, adding ultra-processed foods to the mix doesn\u2019t help.\n<\/p>\n \nThe researchers collected data on 1,065 participants with type 2 diabetes with an average follow-up of 11.6 years. Over that time, participants logged their food choices, which were analyzed for levels of processing using a classification system called NOVA.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cNOVA classification categorizes foods on the basis of the extent and purpose of processing, regardless of nutritional quality of foods,\u201d Bonaccio said.\n<\/p>\n \nThe study was able to identify 22 foods and beverages, including fruit yogurts, savory snacks, salty biscuits, aperitif biscuits, crackers, and carbonated drinks.\n<\/p>\n \nParticipants were split up based on the amount of processed foods they regularly ate. Those with the highest consumption of ultra-processed foods had a 60% increased risk of dying from any cause; their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease was also more than double the risk of people who consumed less UPFs.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nThe study found that even when people reported adhering to a healthy, Mediterranean-style diet, this did not substantially change the effects of ultra-processed foods on their heart health.<\/span>\n<\/p>\n \nBonaccio explained that the nutritional content of the food isn\u2019t the key focus here\u2014it\u2019s the non-nutritional factors like additives, contaminants from plastics, alterations to the food, etc. that seem to be associated with poor cardiovascular health outcomes.\n<\/p>\n \nUltimately, the study suggests that the further from nature foods get, the more they may trigger heart disease in people with type 2 diabetes.\n<\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nSince the average eater isn\u2019t likely to have NOVA definitions on hand when grocery shopping, you may wonder how to identify foods that are ultra-processed.\n<\/p>\n \nPalinski-Wade defines ultra-processed foods as a form of processed food that has been altered to include added sugars, salt, fats (including oils), and starches.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThis can include commercially made breads and cereals, soft drinks, hot dogs, crackers, cookies, and some frozen foods (i.e. chicken nuggets),\u201d she said.\n<\/p>\n \nA lengthy ingredient list is often a sign of ultra-processing, even if the item seems healthy. It\u2019s helpful to take a look not only at the length of an ingredient list, but what it contains. If a food features numerous additives and unfamiliar ingredients, that\u2019s a likely sign of ultra-processing.\n<\/p>\n 6 Simple Diet Changes That Help Prevent Type 2 Diabetes<\/span><\/p>\n <\/span> <\/p>\n \nBonaccio and her team recommend people with type 2 diabetes limit ultra-processed foods for the sake of heart health. But in a world that runs on convenience, that can seem like an intimidating ask.\n<\/p>\n \nFortunately, according to Palinski-Wade, ruthlessly eliminating all <\/em>ultra-processed foods probably isn\u2019t necessary.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cPeople with diabetes can absolutely include ultra-processed foods in their diet,\u201d she said. \u201cThe real focus needs to be on how much of the diet is made up of ultra-processed foods as well as the level of processing these foods have undergone.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nFor example, roasted salted nuts and pork rinds could both be considered ultra-processed, but they have vastly different effects on health.\n<\/p>\n \nPalinski-Wade also pointed out that the study looked at association, not causation. A variety of factors that influence heart disease risk in people with diabetes may not have been considered.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cA person who eats a large amount of ultra-processed foods may also include additional lifestyle factors that may contribute to an increase mortality risk,\u201d she said. \u201cFor instance, they may consume a low overall intake of fruits and vegetables, or may be under high-stress levels, which leads to a lack of time to prepare foods at home or don\u2019t exercise often.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \nUltimately, it\u2019s best to limit ultra-processed foods, regardless of health status. But eating them occasionally probably won\u2019t be a dealbreaker for your cardiovascular health.\n<\/p>\n \n\u201cThere is no need to panic or restrict these foods entirely,\u201d Palinski-Wade said. \u201cHaving some of these foods as part of a balanced meal plan that is rich in whole foods, fiber, and slow-digested carbs can still promote blood sugar balance and fight against future disease.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New research found that higher consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with higher cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in people with type 2 diabetes. This was the case even if a person\u2019s diet seemed nutritionally balanced and healthy. Experts note that the processing of food often contains additional, non-nutritional factors like additives, contaminants from plastics, alterations […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17358,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[410,1261],"tags":[116,1262],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17358"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17358"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1millionbestdownloads.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.health.com\/thmb\/3LVGmmFc4EjzDPXAkEuk_-SUz5E=\/1500x0\/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()\/GettyImages-1412567369-35ecf3cf6481477fba6cdd4c97ff165d.jpg\")
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\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Link Between Heart Disease and Type 2 Diabetes <\/span> <\/h2>\n
The Connection Between Ultra-Processed Foods and Heart Disease in Type 2 Diabetes <\/span> <\/h2>\n
Identifying Ultra-Processed Foods in Your Grocery Store <\/span> <\/h2>\n
Should You Eliminate Ultra-Processed Foods If You Have Type 2 Diabetes? <\/span> <\/h2>\n