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Ultra-processed foods: increasing the risk of inflammation and immune dysregulation?

Nature Reviews Immunology volume 24, pages 453–454 (2024)Cite this article

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Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrially formulated products that contain synthetic ingredients but minimal whole-food components. Diets high in UPFs are associated with increased risk of immune dysregulation-linked diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and potentially autoimmune disease. Several putative mechanisms have been proposed to explain this association, and these need urgent research attention.

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Fig. 1: Potential mechanisms linking high UPF consumption to pathogenic changes in the gut microbiota and dysregulated immune cell signalling.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Intramural Research Program of the National Institutes of Health.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Translational Biobehavioral and Health Disparities Branch, National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Katherine A. Maki

  2. Laboratory of Mitochondrial Biology and Metabolism, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Michael N. Sack

  3. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA

    Kevin D. Hall

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  1. Katherine A. Maki
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Correspondence to Kevin D. Hall.

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Maki, K.A., Sack, M.N. & Hall, K.D. Ultra-processed foods: increasing the risk of inflammation and immune dysregulation?. Nat Rev Immunol 24, 453–454 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-024-01049-x

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