Les chercheurs ont constaté une augmentation de 8 % du risque de mortalité associée à la consommation de quantités modérées de viande rouge.
Les chercheurs suggèrent de limiter la consommation de plats ultra-transformés et de viande rouge pour augmenter la longévité.
Selon des experts de l’Université de santé de Loma Linda, une consommation élevée d’aliments ultra-transformés et, séparément, une consommation excessive de viande rouge peuvent être des indicateurs importants de mortalité. Les recherches qu’ils viennent de publier s’ajoutent à l’ensemble des connaissances concernant les effets des repas ultra-transformés et de la viande rouge sur la santé et la longévité de l’homme.
Par rapport aux recherches précédentes sur les effets sur la santé des repas ultra-transformés et des régimes à base d’animaux, cette étude présente l’une des plus grandes cohortes, avec plus de 77 000 individus. Elle a également pris en compte un large éventail de régimes alimentaires, y compris des options végétariennes et non végétariennes. Selon Gary Fraser, MBChB, Ph.D., auteur de l’étude et professeur à l’école de médecine et à l’école de santé publique de l’université de Loma Linda, les résultats ont donné un nouvel éclairage sur les aliments ultra-transformés comme dénominateur commun de la mortalité entre les végétariens et les non-végétariens.
“Notre étude répond à la question de savoir ce qui peut rendre un régime végétarien sain ou malsain”, explique Fraser. “Il semble que la proportion d’aliments ultra-transformés dans le régime alimentaire d’une personne soit en fait plus importante en ce qui concerne la mortalité que la proportion d’aliments d’origine animale qu’elle consomme, l’exception étant la viande rouge.”
Fraser affirme que l’étude expose comment il est possible d’être un “mauvais végétarien ou un bon non-végétarien” car elle isole les impacts sur la santé des aliments transformés dans le régime alimentaire – qu’il soit végétarien ou non. Les résultats révèlent que les végétariens qui consomment beaucoup d’aliments transformés dans le cadre de leur régime alimentaire sont confrontés à une augmentation proportionnelle similaire des résultats de mortalité que les non-végétariens qui consomment beaucoup d’aliments transformés dans leur régime alimentaire.
L’étude, ” Ultra-processed food intake and animal-based food intake and mortality in the Adventist health study-2 “, publiée dans le American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, assesses the mortality risks of two dietary factors independent of each other:
- the proportion of the diet composed of ultra-processed foods as opposed to less processed foods; examples of ultra-processed foods include soft drinks, certain meat analogs, and candy.
- the proportion of the diet from animal-based foods (meats, eggs, and dairy) as opposed to plant-based foods.
Seven LLU researchers gathered data from an observational prospective cohort study in North America, recruited from Seventh-day Adventist churches, comprising of 77,437 female and male participants. Participants completed a frequency food questionnaire including over 200 food items to describe their diets. They also provided other health-related and demographic information about themselves, including sex, race, geographic region, education, marital status, rate of tobacco and alcohol use, exercise, sleep, BMI, and comorbid conditions with cardiovascular disease or diabetes.
Researchers then analyzed participants’ health and demographic information in conjunction with their mortality data, provided by the National Death Index, for a mean timeframe of about seven and a half years. Next, researchers used a statistical model to help them consider each variable independently of others and produce a cause-specific mortality analysis.
They adjusted their statistical model to focus on ultra-processed food intake irrespective of other factors like animal-food consumption or age. In doing so, Fraser and co-authors found that people who obtained half of their total calories from ultra-processed foods faced a 14% increase in mortality compared to people who received only 12.5% of their total calories from ultra-processed foods.
Study authors report that high consumption levels of ultra-processed foods were associated with mortality related to respiratory, neurologic, and renal conditions — particularly Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (even when restricted to people who never smoked). However, high ultra-processed food consumption was not associated with mortality from cardiovascular disease, cancer, or endocrine conditions.
Results did not reveal an association between mortality and dietary intake of total animal-based foods. Once researchers parsed animal-based foods into sub-categories, however, they found a statistically significant 8% increase in the mortality risk associated with moderate (approximately 1 ½ oz per day) consumption of red meat compared to no red meat.
Overall, Fraser says the study demonstrated how greater consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with higher all-cause mortality, even in a health-conscious Adventist population with many vegetarians. Such findings of ultra-processed food consumption and mortality provide a “helpful confirmation of what people expected,” he says.
The study calls for further research into the specific health effects of ultra-processed food consumption in humans. While research endeavors continue to deepen understanding of how ultra-processed foods impact our health, Fraser advises avoiding consuming them at high levels.
“If you’re interested in living longer or to your maximal potential, you’d be wise to avoid a diet filled with ultra-processed foods and replace them with less processed or unprocessed foods,” Fraser says. “At the same time, avoid eating a lot of red meat. It’s as simple as that.”
Reference: “Ultra-processed food intake and animal-based food intake and mortality in the Adventist Health Study-2” by Michael J Orlich, Joan Sabaté, Andrew Mashchak, Ujué Fresán, Karen Jaceldo-Siegl, Fayth Miles and Gary E Fraser, 24 February 2022, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac043
