Article review: Ultra-processed foods and human health
Abstract
This three-part series provides a comprehensive and compelling overview of the global rise of ultra-processed foods and their link to numerous non-communicable chronic diseases. It points out that unfavorable dietary trends are shaped primarily by global corporations with powerful economic and political interests, rather than by individual choices, and that approaches based on individual behavioral change are therefore insufficient on their own. Deteriorating diets pose an urgent public health threat that requires coordinated policy action and strong advocacy for the regulation of ultra-processed foods. This reading provides important ammunition for those seeking systemic responses to nutrition-related health challenges.
References
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Scrinis, G., Popkin, B. M., Corvalan, C., Duran, A. C., Nestle, M., Lawrence, M., Baker, P., Monteiro, C. A., Millett, C., Moubarac, J. C., Jaime, P., & Khandpur, N. (2025). Policies to halt and reverse the rise in ultra-processed food production, marketing, and consump-tion. Lancet (London, England), 406(10520), 2685–2702. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(25)01566-1
The Lancet (2025) Ultra-processed foods and human health. Infographics. (2025) https://www.thelancet.com/infographics-do/ultra-processed-food-2025 (Elérve: 2025. 12. 17.)
