According to recent research, processed foods such as frozen pizza, sausages, and cookies not only increase the long-term risk of becoming overweight and sick, but also accelerate the biological aging process, according to Spanish researchers. Telomeres are the ends of linear chromosomes that shorten with each cell division, making them a measure of an organism’s age. A team led by nutritionist Lucia Alonso-Pedrero from the University of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain, has now shown that highly processed foods, such as ready meals, also shorten telomeres and accelerate aging. Several studies by other institutes have already shown in the past that processed foods not only increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, but are also associated with depression, diabetes, obesity, and even cancer.
Alonso-Pedrero recently explained at the online world conference on obesity that processed foods accelerate the aging process or the shortening of telomeres, according to the Spanish researchers. Industrially produced ready meals often contain far too much fat, salt, and sugar, as well as various additives such as colorings and flavorings. While these convenience foods may be practical for some consumers, they are by no means recommended for health. For the current study, the researchers analyzed data from around 900 participants, about a third of whom were women. The average age of the test subjects was 68 years. The researchers divided the participants into four groups, with the first group eating hardly any ready meals and the fourth group consuming a lot of such products. In the fourth group, the researchers also found significantly more cases of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
The analysis of the data showed that people in this group consumed more cholesterol, fats, and salts and ate less fruit and vegetables. A comparison of the telomeres revealed the different eating habits of the four groups. The probability of shortened telomeres was about 82 times higher in the fourth group than in the first group. This allowed the researchers to show a correlation between people who eat a lot of processed foods and biological aging. However, the researchers also emphasize that this is not a direct causal relationship. Further studies are needed to conclusively link shortened telomeres to processed foods, although there is already much evidence to support this.
