Eye-opening study into ultra-processed foods and your risk of heart problemsMichelle Basch | *****@*****.tld March 28, 2026, 5:39 AM A report from the American College of Cardiology found people who eat more than nine servings of ultra-processed food a day are an average of 67% more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, or die from heart disease than people who eat one serving a day. The study also found that with each daily serving, the risk of such an event goes up by more than 5%. Among Black Americans, each additional serving leads to an increase in risk of more than 6%. Dr. Michele Arthurs, a lifestyle medicine physician with Kaiser Permanente, told WTOP that if you’re not sure what you’re eating is ultra-processed, just look at the label. “You can see a long list of ingredients, many of which you may not be able to pronounce because they are additives or chemicals that are used for food preservation to increase shelf life,” she said. These kinds of foods also tend to be loaded with sugar, salt and saturated fat. “Our body, essentially, has to fight with them in order to kind of process them and get them through our system. And this leads to inflammation in the body,” Arthurs said. She recognized that many people may find it tough to stop eating ultra-processed foods altogether. Instead, she recommends limiting how much you eat. “It doesn’t mean you can’t have that ballpark hot dog,” Arthurs said, adding that cutting it in half and sharing it with someone was also an option. Other strategies Arthurs recommends to reduce the consumption of ultra-processed foods include: Eat a healthy meal before you head to an event, like a baseball game, where you know you’ll be exposed to a lot of ultra-processed foods. If you like sugary drinks, try alternating with ones that have little or no sugar. If you love snacking on chips, bring along an orange too, and eat the fruit before diving into the bag of chips. The findings, based on data from more than 6,800 U.S. adults, is being presented at the ACC’s Annual Scientific Session on March 28-30 in New Orleans. They’re also published in the journal JACC Advances. Get breaking news and daily headlines delivered to your email inbox by signing up here. © 2026 WTOP. All Rights Reserved. This website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. ARTICLE SOURCE: https://wtop.com/health-fitness/2026/03/eye-opening-study-into-ultra-processed-foods-and-your-risk-of-heart-problems/
You are probably aware of a service called OwnYourLabs.com, where you can order your own labs and have access to the results. They operate in an agreement with LabCorp so you get your results in your LabCorp account.
Now there are other services like OwnYourLabs.com where you can order your own labs at discounted prices. Usually OwnYourLabs.com is the cheapest, but there is one test that I wanted that is very expensive currently. That test is a Cystatin C. Cystatin C is an alternative test that can be used to calculate eGFR for those with chronic kidney disease, or those who are alarmed with their rising creatinine levels.
Creatinine is a protein waste product. However, it can be affected by excess meat consumption and/or lifting weights. Higher than average levels of creatinine can lead physicians to assume you too have chronic kidney disease.
However, Cystatin C is a protein produced by the cells that the kidneys are supposed to keep in check also. Cystatin C though is not affected by working out nor the food you eat. The problem though is that since OwnYourLabs.com doesn't get a lot of requests for a Cystatin C, the best price they can get at the time of this posting is about $280.00. Wowsa!
I was recently introduced to another website offering a similar service called JasonHealth.com and they offer Cystatin C orders for $40 plus an $18 lab collection fee ($58 in total). They operate through an agreement with Quest Diagnostics.
I have come to learn about others who are eating a carnivore diet and/or working out and suddenly their creatinine levels are registering as too high, and they are told there is a problem with their kidneys, but when they got their Cystatic C checked, they learned that their kidneys were just fine, and that their creatinine level was grossly exaggerated by their diet and exercise routine.
I wanted to share with the community in case there are others of you who would like Cystatin C test but don't want to drop $300.
JasonHealth.com
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