on PinterestHow do ultra-processed foods affect diabetes? Here’s the latest evidence.
on PinterestHow do ultra-processed foods affect diabetes? Here’s the latest evidence. Image credit: Maskot/Getty Images
- Research shows that around 70% of the food supply chain in the United States consists of ultra-processed foods.
- A recent study shows that around one in 10 new cases of type 2 diabetes and around 3% of new cardiovascular disease cases could be linked back to sugary drinks.
- A 2024 study found an association between eating processed red meats and an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
- Another study from 2024 found that replacing ultra-processed foods in your diet can help reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Research published in Nature Communications in 2023 estimates that around 70% of the food supply chain in the United States consists of ultra-processed foods.
While the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) are working together to officially define ultra-processed foods, many other experts and agencies commonly use the definition set out by NOVA.
NOVA defines ultra-processed foods as those that contain “formulations of ingredients, mostly of exclusive industrial use, typically created by a series of industrial techniques and processes.”
Another way of thinking about ultra-processed foods is foods that contain ingredients that are generally not found in a kitchen cupboard, such as types of additives, emulsifiers, or stabilizers.
Researchers have been studying the health risks of consuming ultra-processed foods. A study published in Nutrition & Metabolism in November 2025 looked at a potential association between ultra-processed foods and prediabetes in young adults.
The researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of USC studied a group of 85 young adults ages 17 to 22 over a 4-year period. They found that an increased intake of ultra-processed foods was linked to a higher risk of prediabetes.
Yiping Li, one of the study authors and a doctoral researcher in quantitative biomedical sciences at Dartmouth College, stated in a press release that: “These findings indicate that ultra-processed food consumption increases the risk for pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes among young adults—and that limiting consumption of those foods can help prevent disease.”
Sodas may increase diabetes risk
A study published in Nature Medicine in January 2025 charted the metabolic and cardiovascular complications that may be associated with sugar-sweetened beverages, like soda.
The researchers found that around one in 10 new cases of type 2 diabetes and over 3% of cardiovascular disease cases are associated with sugary drinks.
The researchers also estimated that sugary drinks were linked to 80,278 deaths from type 2 diabetes and 257,962 deaths from cardiovascular disease.
Maddie Gallivan, a registered dietitian who was not involved in the study, said that “there is really no benefit to drinking sugary drinks.”
She advised that swapping sugary drinks for healthier options can make a difference to sugar intake while also offering additional benefits like probiotics and polyphenols.
Some health swaps include:
- fruit-infused water
- herbal tea
- low-sugar kombucha.
Processed and red meat can affect type 2 diabetes risk
Research published in the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology in September 2024 found that eating red meat and processed meat can
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