Fresh research has unearthed a troubling relationship between eating certain foodsand a potentially heightened risk of prediabetes in young adults. Prediabetes is a condition where blood sugar levels are elevated above normal but do not yet meet the criteria for a type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

The peer-reviewed study, led by the Keck School of Medicine at the University of California, examined 85 young people over several years. Participants, aged 17 to 22, provided data in initial visits between 2014 and 2018, before heading for a follow-up visit four years later.

At each visit, the adults reported everything they ate on a recent weekday and weekend day, and provided blood samples, which were then analysed statistically. Findings showed that a 10% increase in ultra-processed food consumption was linked with a '64% higher risk for prediabetes and a 56% higher risk for problems with glucose regulation'.

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Sweets, soda, cereal, packaged spreads, flavoured yoghurts, and restaurant foods were some of the many ultra-processed foods considered in this. Professor Vaia Lida Chatzi, senior author of the study, explained: "Our findings show that even modest increases in ultra-processed food intake can disrupt glucose regulation in young adults at risk for obesity.

"These results point to diet as a modifiable driver of early metabolic disease, and an urgent target for prevention strategies among young people."

Ultra-processed foods typically refer to industrially-made products containing ingredients, additives, and preservatives that are uncommon in home cooking. They are often high in salt, sugar, and saturated fat.

The new research builds on several other studies that have warned about the long-term health risks associated with consuming ultra-processed foods. Last year, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic in the USwarned that 'metabolites' linked to red and processed meat are among the primary causes of young-onset colorectal cancer.

The USC scientists now believe that further studies with larger groups and more detailed diet tracking may help clarify which ultra-processed foods are most harmful to young adults. They also plan to investigate the 'biological mechanisms' behind links to prediabetes and how exactly ultra-processed foods affect blood sugar regulation.

Yiping Li, a doctoral student who previously worked as a researcher at Keck School of Medicine, added: "These findings indicate that ultra-processed food consumption increases the risk for pre-diabetes and type 2 diabetes among young adults—and that limiting consumption of those foods can help prevent disease."

The British Heart Foundation explains that ultra-processed foods typically contain high levels of salt, sugar, or saturated fat. Growing evidence suggests they harm heart and circulatory health, though it's unclear whether we should completely exclude them from our diets.

Examples of ultra-processed foods include:

• Crisps and biscuits


• Ice cream and fruit-flavoured yoghurts


• Ham and sausages


• Mass-produced bread, breakfast cereals and instant soups


• Carbonated and some alcoholic drinks, including whisky, gin, and rum

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