Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrially formulated products, mostly made from substances extracted from foods, derived from food components or synthesized in a laboratory.
They’re also designed to make you want to eat more of them.
Then they’re packed with additives, including high amounts of salt, non-nutritive sweeteners, unhealthy fats, emulsifiers, preservatives, bulking or anti-caking agents and artificial colors.
They’re energy-dense but practically devoid of any whole-food ingredients. And they’re a death trap…
According to MDAnderson.org, “In the production process, they are stripped of the nutrients that help our bodies feel good and stay healthy.”
They’ve already been linked with heart problems, diabetes, hypertension and specific cancers.
Now, a Tulane University study found that people who ate more UPFs had lower bone mineral density and a higher risk of hip fractures.
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Researchers assessed health and lifestyle data on 160,000 participants from the UK Biobank database.
On average, people consumed about eight servings of UPFs daily. And for every 3.7 additional servings, the risk of hip fracture increased by 10.5 percent.
That extra three or four servings a day amounts to just one meal — say, a frozen dinner entrée, a cookie and a soda. That’s all it takes to increase the risk of hip fracture by over ten percent!
“Our study cohort was followed for over 12 years, and we found that high intakes of ultra-processed foods were linked to a reduction in bone mineral density at several sites, including key areas of the upper femur and the lumbar spine region,” said co-corresponding author Lu Qi, professor at the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University.
The association was stronger among people under age 65, possibly due to better digestive function, which may have enabled better absorption of the unhealthy ingredients found in UPFs.
But that’s likely not the only reason…
“Ultra-processed foods have been consistently associated with various nutrition-related disorders, and bone health depends on proper nutrition,” she added.
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This isn’t the first study linking UPFs and bone health…
Research from 2024 found that high intake of UPFs correlated with increased risk for osteoporosis.
A 2016 study of pregnant women and their children found that living near fast food outlets was associated with lower bone mineral content in infants.
It’s not rocket science…
Our bones require specific nutrients to stay strong and hard.
But diets high in UPFs are directly linked to nutritional deficiencies, including the very vitamins and minerals required for healthy bones: calcium, vitamin D3, vitamin K2 and magnesium.
And all that salt in UPFs? A high-salt diet increases calcium excretion in urine, which can lead to bone loss, weakened bone structure and osteoporosis.
The answer here is obvious: Eat more whole foods and eat much less (if any) UPFs.
But what’s not so obvious is telling the UPFs from the “middle ground.” Processed foods are those that have undergone minimal processing to increase shelf life or enhance taste, while still retaining most of their original nutritional value.
For help with that, check out this short and sweet guide.
Sources:
Associations of ultra-processed food intake with bone mineral density and fractures in the UK Biobank — Cambridge University Press
Eating more ultra-processed foods linked to poorer bone health, study finds — Eureka Alert
Association between ultra-processed food and osteoporosis: a cross-sectional study based on the NHANES database — Nutrition and Metabolism
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