29 August 2023 , 10:54
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Experts are warning there are many foods that people believe are healthy but in reality they could cause high blood pressure.
Two studies have claimed that foods in the typical British diet may increase the risk of deadly cardiovascular diseases. In twin presentations to the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Amsterdam, researchers revealed the consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) such as cereals, fizzy drinks and fast food, significantly raises the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attacks and strokes.
Anushriya Pant, a researcher involved with one of the studies, said some UPF was mistakenly believed to be healthy choice foods by Brits, such as shop-bought sandwiches, wraps, soups, and low-fat yoghurts.
She warned: “It could be that foods you think are healthy are actually contributing to you developing high blood pressure.”
Ms Pant, from the University of Sydney, explained: “Ultra-processed foods tend to be lower in fibre, high in salt and sugars and all these factors are known to be anti-cardioprotective. A lot of foods that are advertised as ‘healthy’ because they are low in calories, when we look at the salt content, it’s too high. We know that high salt equals hypertension.”
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She warned that British women could be particularly at risk because their diet typically contains 57 per cent of these foods. That's a third more than the highest intake in the study.
They found that 39% of women were more likely to develop high blood pressure when compared with those with the lowest intake of ultra-processed food. The second study, presented by Yang Qu on behalf of the researchers at China’s Fourth Military Medical University, found those who ate the most UPF were nearly 25% more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, or angina.
Additionally, researchers found increasing the intake of UPF by a mere 10% saw the risk of heart disease jump significantly. The team also discovered those who had less than 15% of their diet made up of UPF were the least at risk of having heart-related medical problems.
Food campaigner Henry Dimbleby said the results should serve as a “wake-up call” for the UK. He told The Guardian: “Given that UPF represents 55% of our diet, that should be a wake-up call. If there is something inherent in the processing of foods that is harmful, then that is a disaster.
“Britain is particularly bad for ultra-processed food. It is storing up problems for the future. If we do nothing, a tidal wave of harm is going to hit the NHS.”
Previous research has linked ultra-processed foods with obesity, Type 2 diabetes and cancer. Katharine Jenner, director of the Obesity Health Alliance, said: “It should not be possible for companies to claim these are ‘healthy’.” In separate research presented at the conference, Chinese scientists found a clear link between ultra-processed foods and heart disease.