HEART

Cardiovascular risk and processed foods: what relationships?

Diet is a key determinant of health. What you eat makes you more resilient to health  problems, strengthens your immune system and revitalizes you. However, what you eat can also have a negative impact on your health if you are not careful. In fact, only a balanced and varied diet can help you stay healthy. But with today's lifestyle, almost no one can find the time to eat properly anymore. Junk food establishments are plentiful, processed foods are easily accessible and diet-related illnesses are on the rise. In the following, you will find the relationship between cardiovascular risk and processed foods.

Cardiovascular risk, what you should keep in mind

Cardiovascular risk is the likelihood that a person will develop a cardiovascular disorder. Understand that this probability varies from one person to another. Indeed, it refers to the existence or name of factors favouring the occurrence of a cardiovascular disorder.

It should be noted that the notion of cardiovascular disease includes all pathologies and disorders concerning the health of the heart and arteries. Generally, they are caused by a deposit of fat on the walls of the arteries. The deposits in question, as they accumulate, will form plaques called atheromatous plaques. Over time, these plaques will impede the flow of blood to the organs and affect the health of vital organs such as the brain or kidneys.

What are the main cardiovascular risk factors?

Cardiovascular risk factors can be divided into two broad categories:

What are processed and highly processed foods?

Speaking of bad eating habits, the consumption of processed and highly processed foods tops the list. Added to this is the abuse of sweets and foods containing too much bad fat. When it comes to cardiovascular risk and pathologies affecting the heart and arteries, food is often pointed at. However, even though it is well known that processed foods are bad for your health, the definition of this type of food is still very vague.

It must be acknowledged that the concept is rather complex to understand. All the more so since the law authorizes countless processing procedures and the use of certain additives. You should know that the term "highly processed foods" includes all foods that have undergone industrial processing while containing various additives. For example, sweetened sodas, beverages containing sweeteners, chocolate bars, candy bars, confectionery, vegetable steaks, powdered soups, products with other preservatives besides salt, or ready-to-reheat dishes are included in this category. The same applies to crisps, snacks and cold meats.

The researchers were also able to identify some common characteristics of these highly processed foods. They are all very rich in salt, sugar, saturated fats and contain little or no fibre and vitamins. In addition, there are also some products that may come from packaging, especially those made of plastic. In some scientific studies, meat to which culinary ingredients such as sugar, salt, spices or animal fat have been added is also considered a processed food in some scientific studies. This is also the case for brick soups that are already prepared.

How do processed foods affect heart health?

Interactions between processed foods and cardiovascular health, as well as health in general, have been the subject of various studies. Two studies in 2019, one by Inserm and the other by Spanish researchers, have shown that highly processed or industrial dishes increase cardiovascular risk. The first study involved no fewer than 100,000 participants, while the second was carried out on 19,899 people. The French study showed that the relationship between processed foods and cardiovascular risk was even more significant when considering other parameters and risk factors such as smoking or physical inactivity. The same French study published in May 2019 also observed a 12% increase in the risk of cardiovascular disorders when the proportion of highly processed foods in the diet of study participants increased by 10%. This increase was 11% for cerebrovascular disease and 13% for coronary heart disease.

Although significant results have been reported, they are not sufficient to affirm that the consumption of processed foods is the only cause of increased cardiovascular risk.