A study has linked these popular foods to 32 health issues including diabetes, heart disease, and dementia – and we eat a lot of them in the UK
A nutrition expert has issued a stark warning about a type of food that makes up a large portion of our diets in the UK. According to Professor Tim Spector, the founder of Zoe Health, these foods could raise your risk of dementia, diabetes, and heart disease.
In a post to his Instagram page, he urged Brits to ditch these foods in 2025. The foods in question are known as ultra-processed food (UPFs).
These are foods that have been significantly changed from their original state through processing. They typically contain ingredients that you wouldn’t usually have at home, such as preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers, and artificial colours.
In a video, Tim explained why we should avoid these foods. He said: “It’s a stat that’s hard to swallow – 60 percent of our calories come from ultra processed junk foods and it’s playing havoc with our health.
“I’m sharing the first of our science backed tips to eat better in 2025. New research shows a high intake of ultra processed foods are linked to significant weight gain and increased risk of dementia, diabetes and heart disease.”
He then detailed how to identify them. “So what can we do?” Tim said. “Firstly look at the front of the pack, be sceptical.
“This is not an honest representation of what you’re buying. It’s an advert. Secondly, look at the ingredients.
“Check whether it’s high in salt, fat, and sugar, and make sure there’s some fibre in there. And beware if there’s anything on the ingredient list you don’t instantly recognise.”
His advice comes following a groundbreaking study from 2024 which directly linked ultra processed foods to 32 harmful effects to health. The research, which was published in the British Medical Journal, found eating ultra processed foods put you at greater risk of heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, adverse mental health, and early death.
Study authors concluded: “Overall, direct associations were found between exposure to ultra-processed foods and 32 health parameters spanning mortality, cancer, and mental, respiratory, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, and metabolic health outcomes.”
They added: “Greater exposure to ultra-processed food was associated with a higher risk of adverse health outcomes, especially cardiometabolic, common mental disorders and mortality outcomes.
“These findings provide a rationale to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of using population-based and public-health measures to target and reduce dietary exposure to ultra-processed foods for improved human health.”
