HypertensionCohort study
Markers of ultra-processed food and incident arterial hypertension in the UK Biobank
- Prospective cohort study
- exploratory
Authors' conclusion
Only some MUP categories, i.e. flavour, colouring agent, sweetener, and varieties of sugar, are positively linked to incident arterial hypertension.
Study context
- Population
- Non-hypertensive UK Biobank participants with at least one 24-h dietary recall (Oxford WebQ)7,633 hypertension cases
- Participants
- 101,560 participants
- Exposure
- Intake of foods containing markers of ultra-processing (MUP categories and specific markers of ultra-processing (MUPs)), as %TFI, relative to the HR nadir
- Outcome
- Incident arterial hypertension
- Follow-up
- Median 10.5 years
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Incident hypertension by MUP category
Hazard ratio (95% CI)
Flavour 40%TFI vs 8%TFI (HR nadir)flavour
1.37(1.22–1.54)
Colouring agent 20%TFI vs 0%TFI (HR nadir)colouring agent
1.55(1.36–1.77)
Sweetener 20%TFI vs 0%TFI (HR nadir)sweetener
1.42(1.31–1.55)
Varieties of sugar 10%TFI vs 0%TFI (HR nadir)varieties of sugar
1.19(1.11–1.27)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Incident hypertension by specific MUP
- Significant positive association: acesulfame, aspartame, erythritol, saccharin, sucralose, xylitol, bulking agent, dextrose, fructose, hydrolysed protein, whey protein
- Negative correlation: firming agent, foaming agent, glazing agent
Original publication
Markers of ultra-processed food and incident arterial hypertension in the UK Biobank. Eur Heart J. Published 3 August 2026. doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehag614
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it