研究：超加工食品并非全都有害健康

一直以来，超加工食品总是和不健康联系在一起，但是新研究指出，没必要全盘否定超加工食品，有些超加工食品，比如面包、麦片，实际上对人体健康还是有益的。

Some ultra-processed foods increase the risk of developing cancer, heart disease and diabetes – but others are good for you, new research into the demonised foodstuffs suggests.

对被妖魔化的超加工食品的新研究显示，有些超加工食品会增加患癌症、心脏病和糖尿病的风险，但另外一些超加工食品却对人体健康有益。

A major new international study has found that regular consumption of meat products – such as sausages – and sugary drinks make it more likely that someone will get those diseases.

一项新的大型国际研究发现，定期摄入香肠等肉制品和含糖饮料会让人更容易患上这些疾病。

But bread and cereals actually reduce someone’s risk of them – because they contain fibre – despite also being ultra-processed foods (UPF), the same researchers also concluded, in findings published in The Lancet.

但是在这项发表在《柳叶刀》上的研究报告中，研究人员也得出结论称，面包和麦片尽管也是超加工食品，但实际上却能降低人们患上这些疾病的风险，因为它们含有纤维。

Similarly, sauces, spreads and condiments are also bad for human health, but not as much as animal products and soft drinks.

同样，沙拉、蘸酱和调料也对人体健康有害，但不像肉制品和软饮料的危害那么大。

However, several other major types of UPF previously seen as harmful: sweets and desserts, ready meals, savoury snacks and plant-based alternatives to meat products also got the all-clear. They are “not associated with risk of multimorbidity”, said the authors.

其他几大类先前被认为有害的超加工食品：糖果、甜点、即食餐、零食和植物性肉类替代品也被解除了警报。研究作者表示，这些食品“与多重病症的风险没有关联”。

Experts said the findings showed that regarding all UPF products as bad for health is unwise and unwarranted.

专家指出，这些研究结果显示，认为所有超加工食品都有害健康是不明智的，也是没有根据的。

Like several other recent research projects, the new study did conclude that UPF harms human health and makes it more likely that someone who consumes a lot of it would suffer a potentially fatal event, such as a heart attack or stroke. However, it also gives a more detailed picture of exactly which UPF products do and do not heighten that risk.

和其他几个最近的研究项目一样，新研究也得出结论称，超加工食品对人体健康有害，摄入大量超加工食品会增加猝死风险，比如心脏病发作或中风。然而，新研究也更详细地指出哪些超加工食品会加重风险，哪些超加工食品不会。

The latest study is based on an analysis of the dietary history of, and illnesses experienced by, 266,666 people in seven European countries, including the UK.

这项最新研究是基于对266666人的饮食史和患过的疾病资料的分析，这些研究对象来自包括英国在内的7个欧洲国家。

The authors said: “In this multinational European prospective cohort study, we found that higher consumption of UPF was associated with a higher risk of multimorbidity of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases.”

研究作者称：“在这项欧洲跨国前瞻性队列研究中，我们发现摄入更多超加工食品会增加患癌症和心血管代谢疾病等多重病症的风险。”

People keen to lower their risk should replace some but not all UPF in their diet with “similar but less processed foods … for the prevention of cancer and cardiometabolic multimorbidity” or follow the Mediterranean diet, they said.

他们表示，为了“预防癌症和心血管代谢多重病症”，想要降低患病风险的人应该用“加工较少的类似食品”换掉饮食中的一些超加工食品，但不是全部换掉，或是采用地中海饮食模式。

Multimorbidity is when someone has at least two life-shortening diseases at the same time, such as cancer and heart disease.

多重病症指的是某人同时患有至少两种缩短寿命的疾病，比如癌症和心脏病。

Heinz Freisling, a co-author of the paper and expert at the World Health Organization’s cancer research agency IARC, which also collaborated on the study, said: “Our study emphasises that it is not necessary to completely avoid ultra-processed foods; rather, their consumption should be limited, and preference be given to fresh or minimally processed foods.”

该研究报告的合著者、世界卫生组织国际癌症研究机构的专家海因茨·弗雷斯令表示：“我们的研究强调，没必要完全不吃超加工食品，而应该少吃超加工食品，多吃新鲜或加工少的食品。”国际癌症研究机构也参与了这项研究。