Ultra‑Processed Foods Risk
New analysis links daily ultra‑processed food intake to a 67% higher risk of heart attack and stroke — a stark reminder to prioritize whole‑food protein sources during heavy training blocks. For grapplers logging double sessions, the takeaway is to lean on minimally processed meals for long‑term health and recovery. (earth.com)
The analysis was presented at the American College of Cardiology’s 2026 annual scientific session and published in JACC: Advances with lead author Amier Haidar of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. (acc.org)) Investigators used data from 6,814 adults enrolled in the Multi‑Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), ages 45–84, all without known cardiovascular disease at baseline. (acc.org)) Diet was measured with a 120‑item food‑frequency questionnaire and foods were classified by the NOVA system; participants in the highest quintile averaged about 9.3 ultra‑processed servings per day versus 1.1 in the lowest quintile. (sciencedirect.com)) Each additional daily serving was associated with a 5.1% higher hazard for adverse cardiac events overall, with a 6.1% per‑serving increase among Black participants compared with a 3.2% per‑serving increase in non‑Black participants. (acc.org)) The composite outcomes counted included nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, resuscitated cardiac arrest and death from coronary heart disease or stroke, and models adjusted for total calories, overall diet quality and common risk factors such as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol and obesity. (acc.org)) Authors noted methodological caveats: MESA was not originally designed to measure ultra‑processed food intake specifically, dietary intake relied on self‑reported questionnaires, servings were the exposure metric rather than branded items or biomarkers, and the analysis did not investigate biological mechanisms. (reachmd.com)) The paper is indexed in JACC: Advances (Haidar A, Rikhi R, Watson KE, Wood AC, Shapiro MD et al.) with DOI 10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.102516 and was released to coincide with the ACC.26 meeting. (connect.uclahealth.org))
