Yogurts are one of the most consumed products in supermarkets.

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P. Huguen / AFP

Prepared meals, cookies, sodas, hamburgers… Ultra-processed industrial foods would promote biological aging for those who consume a lot of it, according to researchers.

The researchers measured, in 886 Spaniards over 55, a marker of biological aging, in this case the length of genetic components called "telomeres", taking into account their daily consumption of ultra-processed foods.

According to them, the (wrong) diet can cause cells to age faster.

Obesity, hypertension, diabetes and cancers favored by these foods

Participants, divided into four groups, from the heaviest users of ultra-processed foods (3 or more per day) to the weakest (less than two), donated their saliva samples for genetic analysis and indicated their food consumption. daily.

Research has already linked these ultra-processed foods, most of the time too fatty, too sweet and salty, to diseases such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes and various cancers.

The heaviest consumers (more than 3 servings or dishes per day) of these foods heavily modified by industrial processes practically doubled their risk of having short telomeres compared to those who consumed the least, according to the study presented at the conference European and International Forum on Obesity (ECOICO 2020) organized online (September 1-4).

A marker of biological age

However, telomeres are protective structures that preserve the stability and integrity of our genetic heritage and, therefore, of the DNA necessary for the functioning of each cell in the body.

As we age, our telomeres shorten because every time a cell divides, it loses a small piece of telomere.

This phenomenon is repeated, resulting in senescence or biological aging of the cells which then cease to divide and to function normally.

Telomere length is considered a marker of biological age at the cellular level.

However, further studies are needed to confirm these observations, according to the authors, before a cause-and-effect link can be confirmed.

Family history

Participants who consumed the most this food containing little or no whole foods, and often flavors, colors, emulsifiers, manipulated products (hydrogenated oils, modified starches) were more likely to have a family history of cardiovascular disease. (CVD), diabetes and abnormal blood fats, and more snacking between meals.

They also ate more fat, saturated fat, fast food and processed meats, and fewer fruits and vegetables.

This work, conducted by Lucia Alonso-Pedrero and her colleagues under the supervision of Amelia Marti from the University of Navarre (Pamplona, ​​Spain) has appeared in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

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