Ultra-Processed Foods Are Fueling Your Risk for Heart Disease

Do you ever wonder why coronary artery disease remains the leading cause of death in the U.S., despite medical advancements? One reason may be the food on your grocery store shelves.  

I am referring to ultra-processed foods. These are packaged foods that involve many manufacturing steps that strip nutrients and fiber and add ingredients that aren’t typically used in home cooking, like preservatives, seed oils, corn syrup or artificial flavorings. Examples include frozen pizza, sodas, sports drinks, packaged desserts and snacks and processed red meats like hot dogs, pepperoni and bacon. Many foods we buy at the grocery store are minimally processed — frozen vegetables, pasteurized milk and vacuum-packed tuna — and keep many of their nutritional benefits after processing.

But nearly half of all foods and beverages sold at supermarkets are ultra-processed, according to a study published in Public Health Nutrition. This helps explain why millions of Americans reach for these foods every day without realizing they may be potentially damaging their hearts.  

Understanding Coronary Artery Disease  

Coronary artery disease has multiple names, including ischemic heart disease and atherosclerosis. It develops when the heart muscle doesn't  receive enough oxygen-rich blood due to narrowed or blocked coronary arteries. This condition affects millions of people worldwide and can evolve in various ways.  

Most people experience symptoms such as chest pain (angina), upper body discomfort, shortness of breath, sweating, indigestion, nausea, dizziness and irregular heartbeat. However, there's a particularly dangerous type of coronary artery disease called silent ischemia. This is when blood flow reduction occurs but doesn’t produce obvious symptoms, leaving you unaware of your deteriorating heart health and susceptibility to a heart attack or stroke.  

Risk Factors  

Many risk factors can trigger your heart's oxygen demand to exceed its supply capacity. The most common being obesity, smoking, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, sedentary lifestyle, kidney disease, metabolic syndrome and previous heart attacks.  

Your diet also plays a crucial role. Diets high in ultra-processed foods have been associated with an increased risk of ischemic heart disease among middle-aged US adults, according to a study published in the Journal of Nutrition.    

Why Are Ultra-Processed Foods Detrimental?  

Almost 60 percent of the calories consumed in the average American diet are derived from ultra-processed foods. These foods are convenient and affordable, and for many Americans, tasty. However, they’re laden with ingredients such as unhealthy fat, salt, sugar and chemicals, which can take a toll on your health.  

For example, ultra-processed foods are known to raise blood sugar levels more than minimally or moderately processed foods. Many brands of packaged crackers, sodas (even diet sodas) and some cereals and yogurt raise blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes. This means that if you consume ultra-processed foods throughout the day, your blood sugar can remain elevated all day, which can damage blood vessels and the nerves that control the heart and blood vessels, ultimately leading to heart disease.  

Because these foods are often simple carbohydrates, they can also lower your HDL, or good cholesterol levels, and raise your LDL, or bad cholesterol levels, which can contribute to coronary artery disease.

Ultra-processed foods are also notorious for interfering with the gut-brain connection, disrupting satiety signals. These foods increase your appetite, often leaving you feeling hungry even after you’ve eaten. In turn, you overconsume and gain weight. These foods can cause people to consume as many as 500 additional calories per day compared to those who eat whole foods. The weight gain associated with ultra-processed foods raises the risk for heart disease and diseases that play a role in heart disease, e.g., sleep apnea, fatty liver disease, unhealthy cholesterol levels, high blood pressure and metabolic syndrome.  

Finally, these foods can negatively affect gut microbiota and permeability, triggering inflammation. Systemic inflammation promotes plaque growth along the inside of arteries and generates blood clots, the primary cause of heart attacks and stroke, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.    

Cutting Back on Ultra-Processed Foods  

This is easier said than done. However, there are steps you can take to improve your diet to help protect your heart. For example, you can:  

• Read labels.  
• Understand what’s in many ultra-processed foods.  
• Learn how to snack healthily.    
• Incorporate more plant-based foods into your diet.  
• Follow a Mediterranean-style eating plan  
• Control junk food cravings
• Adopt a strategy to help you buy healthier foods while grocery shopping  
• Recognize fake health foods  

Most importantly, work with your primary care physician. They can provide dietary guidance based on your health history and medications.  

If you have an MDVIP-affiliated physician, they’ll offer the MDVIP Wellness Program, which screens for heart health and components of a heart-healthy lifestyle, including exercise, nutrition, sleep, substance use, emotional health (including stress) and blood pressure. Doctors use results from these screenings to develop a personalized wellness program for you that may focus on heart health.  

If you’re curious about your heart health, take MDVIP’s heart health quiz and peruse our heart health center. Share the results with your primary care physician.    

If you’re looking for a primary care physician, consider partnering with an MDVIP-affiliated physician. Find an MDVIP affiliate near you »