How an occasional ready meal ‘raises type 2 diabetes risk by nearly a fifth’, study suggests

Increasing intake of ultra-processed food by just 10 per cent raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to a sixth, a study suggests.

But the researchers have also found that the risk can be lowered by consuming different types of processed foods.

The study – a collaboration between University College London (UCL), the University of Cambridge and Imperial College London – found that every 10 per cent increase in the amount of ultra-processed foods (UPF) in a person’s diet was linked to a 17 per cent increase in type 2 diabetes risk, but that this appeared to be lowered by consuming ‘less-processed’ foods.

Samuel Dicken, first author of the study, which was published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, said: ‘Every 10 per cent increase in the diet from UPF increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes considerably.

‘Most studies to date only consider UPF as a whole, but we also suspect that there may be different risks associated with different types of UPF, and the risks of other processing groups have not been well researched.’

The highest-risk UPF groups were found to be savoury snacks, ready meals, animal-based products such as processed meats, and sugar-sweetened and artificially-sweetened drinks. (Stock photo)

Pictured, Samuel Dicken, first author of the study, which was published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe

Every 10 per cent increase in the amount of ultra-processed foods (UPF) in a person’s diet was linked to a 17 per cent increase in type 2 diabetes risk. (Stock photo)

The exact causes of the link between UPF and type 2 diabetes are unconfirmed. (Stock photo)

The degree of processing in foods is most often assessed using the Nova classification. (Stock photo)

The highest-risk UPF groups were found to be savoury snacks, ready meals, animal-based products such as processed meats, and sugar-sweetened and artificially-sweetened drinks.

Bread and cereals were deemed less of a danger.

The degree of processing in foods is most often assessed using the Nova classification, which divides foods into four groups: unprocessed or minimally processed foods, such as eggs, milk and fruit; processed culinary ingredients, such as salt, butter and oil; processed foods such as tinned fish, beer and cheese; and ultra-processed foods such as ready-to-eat/heat dishes, savoury snacks, sweets and desserts.

Mr Dicken said: ‘Our analysis goes a step further than previous studies, by looking at all four processing groups in the Nova classification to gauge the impact on type 2 diabetes risk when we substitute UPF with less-processed foods.’ He added: ‘The good news is that replacing UPF with less-processed foods was associated with a reduced type 2 diabetes risk.’

The study analysed 300,000 people in eight European countries over a decade.

The exact causes of the link between UPF and type 2 diabetes are unconfirmed, though many factors are thought to be at play, such as overconsumption and weight gain.