A group of leading cardiology experts from across Europe has reviewed a decade’s worth of research on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and their effects on the heart. Their findings, published in the European Heart Journal, are clear: people who eat a lot of UPFs have a significantly higher risk of heart disease, and even death.
What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?
Ultra-processed foods are products made in factories using industrial ingredients and additives, including fizzy drinks, packaged snacks, ready meals, reconstituted meat products, and mass-produced bread and cereals. Over the past few decades, these foods have gradually replaced more traditional, home-cooked diets in many countries.
Professor Luigina Guasti, who led the expert group, explained the concern: “UPFs, made from industrial ingredients and additives, have largely replaced traditional diets. Research suggests these foods are linked to several risk factors for cardiovascular disease, such as obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure, and to the risk of developing and dying from heart disease. However, this evidence has not yet made its way into the advice we give to patients on healthy eating.”
What the Research Found
The numbers in the report make for sobering reading. Compared to people who eat very little ultra-processed food, those who eat the most have:
- Up to a 19% higher risk of heart disease
- A 13% higher risk of atrial fibrillation (an irregular heartbeat that can lead to stroke)
- Up to a 65% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease
Beyond the heart itself, heavy UPF consumption is also linked to obesity, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and unhealthy levels of fat in the bloodstream, all of which place extra strain on the cardiovascular system.
Why are these foods so harmful? Dr Marialaura Bonaccio, one of the report’s authors, offered an explanation: “UPFs raise cardiovascular risk mainly by promoting obesity, diabetes, hypertension and the build-up of unhealthy fats in the blood. UPFs tend to be high in sugar, salt, and unhealthy fats. They also have additives, contaminants and an altered food structure, which may trigger inflammation, metabolic disruption, gut microbiome changes and overeating.”
How Much Are We Eating?
The report also reveals just how much of our diet these foods now make up across Europe and the differences between countries are striking. In the Netherlands, ultra-processed foods account for around 61% of daily calorie intake. In the UK, it’s 54%. By contrast, the figure drops to 25% in Spain, 22% in Portugal, and just 18% in Italy, where more traditional food cultures remain strong.
What Needs to Change
Despite a growing body of evidence, most national dietary guidelines still don’t specifically address ultra-processed foods. Current healthy eating advice tends to focus on individual nutrients, including fat, sugar, salt, rather than how food is made. The report’s authors say this needs to change.
They are calling for clearer food labelling, updated dietary guidelines, and better public awareness about what ultra-processed foods actually are. Importantly, they point out that foods marketed as “healthier” options are often still ultra-processed so consumers can’t always trust the packaging.
Doctors also have a role to play. The experts are urging GPs and cardiologists to start asking patients about their UPF intake and to offer practical advice on cutting back, alongside existing guidance on exercise, smoking, and alcohol.
As Dr Bonaccio puts it: “Integrating UPF awareness into routine medical care could improve patients’ health without adding significant cost or time.”
The Bottom Line
The message from Europe’s leading heart specialists is straightforward: the more ultra-processed food you eat, the greater your risk of serious heart problems. Choosing whole or minimally processed foods where possible is one of the most effective steps you can take to protect your heart — and your overall health.
More long-term research is still needed, but as Professor Guasti concludes, the evidence has been building for ten years, and it’s time for both medicine and public health policy to catch up.
Luigina Guasti, Marialaura Bonaccio, Ana Abreu, Riccardo Asteggiano, et al., Ultra-processed foods, lifestyle management, and cardiovascular diseases: A clinical consensus statement of the European Society of Cardiology Council for Cardiology Practice and the European Association of Preventive Cardiology of the European Society of Cardiology, European Heart Journal, 2026;, ehag226, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehag226