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Ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular disease

In this Comment, we critically examine the association between the increasing consumption of ultra-processed foods and their negative effect on cardiovascular health. We explore the historical evolution of food processing, the Nova food classification and the epidemiological evidence, and highlight the need for urgent public health interventions.

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Fig. 1: Nova classification framework for understanding the essence of industrial food processing.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank C. Augusto Monteiro (University of Sao Paulo, Brazil) for inspiring the concept for the figure used in this Comment. The authors received grant support from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF UK IIG_FULL_2020_033).

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Correspondence to Fernanda Rauber or Renata Bertazzi Levy.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Rauber, F., Levy, R.B. Ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular disease. Nat Rev Cardiol 21, 213–214 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41569-024-00990-7

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