Study Finds Ultra-Processed Foods Driving Rising Rates of Illness Across the U.S.

By Stacy M. Brown Senior Global Correspondent

Americans are consuming ultra-processed foods at staggering levels, and a newly released 85-page expert report warns the products are fueling rising rates of obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression, and other chronic illnesses across the country, including in communities already struggling with major health disparities in the District of Columbia.

The report, “Ultraprocessed Foods in the U.S.: Recommended Definitions and Policies,” was released by Healthy Eating Research and developed by a 14-member panel of nutrition, food science, epidemiology, food law, and public policy experts. Researchers found that ultraprocessed foods account for between 53% and 58% of calories consumed by U.S. adults and 62% of calories consumed by children and teenagers.

Separate findings have noted that District residents have continued to confront major disparities in obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and food access, particularly in Black communities and lower-income neighborhoods.

“UPFs have become a large portion of the American diet largely because they are widely available, heavily marketed, inexpensive, convenient, and highly appealing,” the report stated.

The new report defines ultra-processed foods, commonly known as UPFs, as industrially manufactured products containing few or no whole-food ingredients and produced through intense physical and chemical processing methods designed to maximize shelf life, convenience, and taste appeal. Examples listed by researchers include sweetened and diet beverages, packaged chips, candy, flavored dairy products, processed meats, breakfast cereals, commercial breads, baked goods, and ready-to-eat meals.

Researchers said evidence linking ultraprocessed foods to serious health problems continues to grow. The report cited studies connecting heavy UPF consumption to cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, obesity, anxiety, depression, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, poor sleep, and increased mortality. The panel also pointed to randomized controlled trials showing that people consuming diets dominated by ultraprocessed foods consumed more calories and experienced worse weight outcomes than those eating minimally processed diets, even when meals contained similar amounts of sugar, sodium, fiber, and calories.

The experts argued that the health dangers tied to ultra-processed foods extend beyond fat, sodium, and sugar content alone. Researchers described several possible mechanisms contributing to harm, including what they called hyperpalatability, addictive characteristics, food matrix degradation, and exposure to additives and industrial contaminants.

“A subset of foods, most of which are classified as UPFs, meet the most recent scientific criteria commonly used to characterize addictive products, such as tobacco,” the report stated. The report also documented the rapidly growing political push to regulate ultra-processed foods nationwide. Researchers found that 80% of identified U.S. policy proposals targeting UPFs were introduced during the first half of 2025. Many of those proposals focused narrowly on food dyes or select additives, though the panel warned such approaches fail to capture most ultra-processed products currently sold in stores.

Modeling conducted by researchers found that narrow additive-based proposals identified only 13% to 17% of products classified as ultraprocessed under the Nova system. Instead, the panel recommended using the Nova Category 4 framework as the scientific basis for federal policy. The Nova system classifies foods according to industrial processing methods and the use of cosmetic additives and industrial ingredients not typically used in home kitchens.

The report further noted that Americans with lower incomes and lower educational attainment tend to consume higher levels of ultraprocessed foods than wealthier populations.

“Taken together, the current evidence suggests that the mechanisms through which UPFs impact health are multifactorial, operating simultaneously and likely in synergy,” the report concluded. “As a result, efforts focusing on single mechanisms are unlikely to fully mitigate the harms posed by UPFs.”