Frequently eating processed foods and red meat are linked to an increased risk of early death, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Researchers at Loma Linda University collected data from over 77,000 members of Seventh-Day Adventist churches, who typically follow healthy diets. Each participant completed a questionnaire about how frequently they ate about 200 foods. The researchers found that people who obtained half of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods had a 14 percent increase in mortality compared to people who received only obtained a fraction of their total calories from ultra-processed foods, like soft drinks, candy, and other foods typically sold in bags, boxes, cans, or frozen food packages. Other than ultra-processed foods, they observed that people who consumed red meat every day had an 8 percent higher risk of mortality.
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