Overview
- The results, presented at Nutrition 2026 on July 28, 2026, come from an analysis of more than 200,000 U.S. adults whose diets were tracked from the 1980s through the early 2020s.
- Researchers separated overall diet quality from food processing and found that higher nutritional quality was linked to lower risks of premature death, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes regardless of processing level.
- The study shows some ultra‑processed foods such as fortified wholegrain cereals, plant‑based milks and yoghurts, supermarket wholegrain bread and canned beans can contribute nutrients and fit into healthy diets.
- The authors warn many ultra‑processed items—fast food, sugary drinks, packaged desserts and salty snacks—remain poor choices and that some minimally processed foods like white rice or fruit juice can also be unhealthy.
- Because the work is observational, it cannot prove cause and effect, but it highlights limits of the NOVA processing classification and suggests policy and guidance should focus on nutrient density and encouraging reformulation of packaged foods to improve public health.