Ultra-processed tobacco, the “new tobacco”: a study links its consumption with a 47% higher heart risk

More and more studies confirm the harmful relationship between the consumption of ultra-processed products and our health. And it’s not just about the poor nutritional quality or its high capacity to make us fat, a recent study points to cardiovascular health as one of the most affected systems. Experts even compare this new “epidemic” with the crisis caused by tobacco in the last century.

An investigation led by the Florida Atlantic University and published in the magazine The American Journal of Medicine found that a high consumption of ultra-processed is associated with a 47% increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The analysis was based on data from the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2021 and 2023, with a sample of 4,787 adults.

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The researchers adjusted the results for age, sex, race, income level and smoking status, in order to isolate the specific impact of these products. After eliminating these factors, the relationship remained: those who consume the most ultra-processed foods They are almost 50% more likely to develop heart disease compared to those who ingest them in smaller proportions.

The study adds to a trend already documented in other international research. In France, the NutriNet-Santé cohort, with more than 100,000 participants, showed that a 10% increase in the intake of ultra-processed foods is linked to a 12% higher cardiovascular risk. A meta-analysis published in 2024, which reviewed data from more than one million people, concluded that each additional daily serving increases the risk of cardiovascular events by 2.2%. In Australia, a 25-year follow-up of almost 40,000 individuals linked high consumption of these products with a 19% increase in cardiovascular mortality.

Experts point out that the impact would be related to processes of systemic inflammation and alterations in lipid metabolism. Added to this is a composition characterized by multiple industrial ingredients, abundant added sugars, saturated fats and additives, but low in fiber and micronutrients, a combination that favors hypertension, insulin resistance and diabetes.

The comparison with tobacco is not accidental. Just as anti-smoking campaigns managed to reduce deaths from cancer and heart disease in the 20th century, today the massive expansion of ultra-processed products poses a new public health challenge. Scientific evidence, increasingly consistent, suggests that its habitual consumption could become one of the main cardiovascular risk factors for this generation.