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/
....and things are great! Not craving any carbs, my overall appetite is down, i am down 5 pounds from 178, and i've noticed that my chronic pain is lessened. So much so that i think i can finally stop taking Ibuprofin [and more recently Tylenol]. I've been taking a lot of ibuprofin for literally decades to address pain and infalmmation. And while i still have serious Lumbar spine issues, and other joint pains too, i think i can finally be done with the whole otc mess. I still vape, but at least i am using an organic product and my goal is to get off of it. I also completely eliminated seed oils from my diet, which are highly inflammatory.
i used to do keto for a good two years and lost like 50 pounds but i got off track and got to eating a carb heavy poisonous SAD again. My last visit to my doctor showed my cholesterol level high and he wanted me to go on prescription drugs to fix it. I am 63 years old and the only pharmicutical drug i take is Trazodone for sleep. The last thing i want is to be drugged up and addicted to pharmicutical drugs in a system that is designed to make you sick and keep you sick and returning for more drugs. So last week i decided that the best way to fix my body's problems is through diet and begin walking again.
My inlaws, nice people but they are now deceased. The dad had diabetes and he died from dementia. The mom she was obese and she died from dementia. The common denominator is them listening to their doctors and doctors on TV thinking they were the experts. They didn't eat red meat but they ate pork. They didn't eat butter, but they ate margarine. Everything else they ate was crap loaded with carbs and bad oils. They were on a lot of prescription meds brcause that's how you fix your body's problems, and that's the sick end game with the entire SAD/Pharmaceutical drugs cycle. I know that i am having some brain fog issues and its probably diet related. I am hoping i can reverse the inflammmation in my body that is causing all my issues, and resolve them with the Carnivore diet. Honestly, i don't give a rip what others say about my dietary choices and i am not even going to tell my doctor because he will likely try "correcting" my thinking. Anyways, i am a happy carnivore now!
Edited by Carnivore Chef
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