Canadians consume a lot of ultra-processed foods, like nuggets, fries and soda, that have been linked to nearly four in 10 heart disease and stroke events in Canada, including death, a new study suggests.
Research funded by the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada published Tuesday showed that ultra-processed food and drink make up more than 40 per cent of the total daily energy intake among Canadians aged 20 years and older.
“We found that ultra-processed foods are a significant contributor to the burden of heart disease and stroke in Canada,” said Virginie Hamel, a registered dietitian and PhD candidate at the Université de Montréal, who worked on the study.
The Canadian research – a first of its kind – found that an estimated 37 per cent of all new coronary heart disease and stroke cases and 38 per cent of all deaths from these cardiovascular diseases among adults in 2019 could be blamed on the consumption of ultra-processed food.
In other words, 96,043 new cases of heart disease and stroke and 17,417 deaths in Canada that year were attributable to such foods, researchers said. Men were more likely to be affected than women.
Ultra-processed foods go through multiple processes such as extrusion, moulding and milling, and contain many added ingredients and are highly manipulated, according to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.
Processed foods, meanwhile, refer to foods where ingredients such as oil, sugar or salt are added, and they are packaged. These include cheese, tofu, simple bread and canned beans.
Soft drinks, chips, chocolate, candy, ice cream, sweetened breakfast cereals, packaged soups and hot dogs are some examples of ultra-processed foods.
Hamel said ultra-processed food products are high in sugar, salt and fat, which have already been associated with heart disease and stroke.
They also contain additives, lack critical nutrients, are of poor quality and make people feel less full so they eat more of it, promoting weight gain, she added.
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This new research adds to growing evidence linking ultra-processed food with adverse health outcomes, including stroke.
A study published in the Neurology medical journal in May 2024 found that a 10 per cent increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with a nine per cent increased risk of stroke, including in people with no history of a stroke.
The most common signs of stroke can be spotted with the acronym FAST.
This includes face dropping, arm weakness and speech difficulty — all of which indicate that it’s time to call 911 immediately.
Another study published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) also in May 2024 found that over a span of 34 years, people who consumed a greater quantity of highly processed foods (averaging seven servings per day) faced an increased risk of mortality compared with those who consumed fewer servings (averaging three servings per day).
A review of hundreds of epidemiological studies also published in the BMJ in February 2024 found that higher exposure to ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of 32 damaging health outcomes, including cancer, major heart and lung conditions, mental health disorders, and early death.
Besides the burden of disease, the Heart and Stroke Foundation study also looked at the effects of cutting back and increasing ultra-processed food consumption.
It found that if Canadians reduced their intake of ultra-processed food by half, it could lead to 45,914 fewer new cases of cardiovascular disease and 8,314 fewer deaths from cardiovascular disease in a year.
“Even if we only reduce by 20 per cent, we know that we can reduce the burden by 17 per cent, or 3,000 lives per year,” Hamel said.
On the flip side, ultra-processed food consumption going up by 50 per cent would result in 19,979 more cases and 3,489 additional deaths from heart disease and stroke, the study showed.
Hamel said consuming less ultra-processed foods is best, but that’s easier said than done.
She said many lives can be saved with policies that can help improve Canada’s food environment.
Measures like restricting marketing of ultra-processed foods to kids, taxes on sodas and subsidies for fresh fruits and vegetables could help nudge Canadians towards making healthier food choices, Hamel said.
“We need strong policies to help people because it’s not easy.”
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