How an occasional ready meal 'raises type 2 diabetes risk by nearly a fifth', study suggests By Shaun Wooller, Health Editor Published: 00:00 BST, 16 September 2024 | Updated: 00:24 BST, 16 September 2024 e-mail View comments 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.' Increasing intake of ultra-processed food by just 10 per cent raises the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by up to a sixth.
(Stock photo) The highest-risk UPF groups were found to be savoury snacks, ready.