In a recent report, the WHO attributes nearly 2.7 million deaths per year in Europe, or more than 7,000 per day, to four major sectors of activity. These are tobacco, fossil fuels, alcohol and ultra-processed foods. The latter are accused of almost all evils (obesity, cancer, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases), because of their effect on our eating habits (salt, sugar, fats, preservatives and various ingredients).
For some time now, the rise of plant-based alternatives to meat products (sausages, hamburgers and other meatless nuggets) has been raising questions among specialists. “To be textured a bit like meat, industrial imitation meats are ultra-processed products full of additives”, “, assures nutritionist Arnaud Cocaul. Are these processed plant-based products, touted as “healthier”, really so?
A recent study by the University of São Paulo and Imperial College London, carried out using data collected from 118,000 people (UK Biobank), provides some answers (The LancetApril 2024). First observation: the consumption of ultra-processed products, both of animal and plant origin, is linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases and death due to these diseases.
Second observation, the consumption of ultra-processed plant-based foods is associated with a 7% increase in the risk of cardiovascular diseases compared to a raw plant-based diet (fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, legumes, etc.). Finally, increasing this consumption of fresh and raw plant products by 10% is associated with a 13% reduction in mortality due to all cardiovascular diseases and a 20% reduction in mortality caused by coronary heart disease.
