ACC Report Links Ultra-Processed Food Intake to Higher Cardiac Event Risk

Higher intake of ultra-processed foods was reported to be associated with a higher risk of major cardiac events in a U.S. cohort analysis presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session (ACC.26) and published simultaneously in JACC Advances. The report outlines the population studied, how intake and outcomes were assessed, the size of the observed associations, and the investigators’ stated caveats and comments.

The analysis included 6,814 adults ages 45–84 years from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) with no history of heart disease at baseline. Ultra-processed food intake was estimated using food questionnaires and classified with the NOVA system, with intake expressed in servings per day. The composite outcome was described as major cardiac events, including nonfatal myocardial infarction, stroke, resuscitated cardiac arrest, or death from coronary heart disease or stroke.

In the primary between-group comparison highlighted, participants with the highest intake averaged 9.3 servings per day, while those with the lowest intake averaged 1.1 servings per day. The highest-intake group was reported to be 67% more likely to experience major cardiac events than the lowest-intake group. The association consistently pointed toward higher event risk with higher reported intake.

The report also described a graded association: each additional daily serving was associated with a 5.1% increase in risk overall, and the per-serving increase was reported to be larger among Black Americans than among non-Black participants (6.1% vs 3.2% per serving). The study describes adjustment for total calories and overall diet quality, as well as diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, and obesity, with the lead author stating that the risk associated with higher intake “was still about the same” after these adjustments.

Limitations acknowledged by the investigators included that MESA was not originally designed to specifically measure ultra-processed food intake, that dietary data relied on self-reported questionnaires, and that intake was measured by servings rather than tracking individual food items. The study also did not directly investigate biological mechanisms.