We know eating ultra-processed foods is linked to a number of negative health outcomes, like cancer, diabetes and even early death. But we literally can't escape them. Research shows that Americans are extremely overexposed to products that are high in calories, saturated fat, sugar and salt.
According to a study from Northeastern University's Network Science Institute, 73% of the United States' food supply is ultra-processed.
When ingredients such as oil, sugar or salt are added to products, the result is processed foods. A food is considered "ultra-processed" when it has been chemically altered with five or more ingredients including substances not commonly used in culinary preparations, such as additives like coloring and flavoring to imitate sensory qualities of fresh food.
Examples of ultra-processed foods include packaged breads, cookies, sweetened breakfast cereals, margarines, sauces and spreads, carbonated drinks, hot dogs, hamburgers and pizzas.
Studies have documented significant associations between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and diseases onset, including links to obesity, CHD, diabetes, cancer and depression.
The problem is many Americans don't realize the food they're eating has been ultra-processed. The current processing-based classification of food, called NOVA, has limited coverage and does not differentiate between degrees of processing, which can hindered consumer choices.
In order to figure out how much of the food supply is ultra-processed, researchers at Northeastern University developed a machine learning algorithm that accurately predicts the degree of processing for any food.
According to a paper published in Nature Journal, the algorithm first revealed that natural nutrients exhibit common patterns, well captured by a single equation.
"The very existence of this formula was the most surprising thing," Albert-László Barabási said in an article reporting the study findings. "No one has even realized that that is possible."
By revealing what nutrient concentrations should look like in natural, non-processed foods, the equation can determine which foods have been chemically altered and deviate from nutrient ranges observed in natural ingredients.
The research indicates that ultra-processed food behaves in a way that shows extreme concentrations in many different nutrients. For example, when an onion is fried and battered, more than half of its nutrients change in concentration, which correlates with the level of processing. The study indicates that changes in nutrient content have "remarkable predictive power" in capturing the extent of food processing.
Based on their findings, researchers built an online database called TrueFood, which ranks the processing level of 50,000 food items sold at major retailers to help people make more informed decisions about their diets. Each food is given a score from 0 to 100, and users can compare different products. The higher the score, the higher the processing.
Despite the high reliance of ultra-processed food among the U.S. population, researchers say there's an easy way to make healthier choices -- and you don't have to overhaul your entire diet. Instead, the study suggests replacing the most processed items you consume with less processed versions of the same item.