Can junk food be measured in minutes of life? Yes. A study conducted by scientists at the University of Michigan revealed it. How much life can be lost by regularly consuming foods such as soft drinks and hot dogs? The study creates the Health and Nutrition Index, which makes it easier to evaluate the impact of different foods on the body.
Nutritionist Luis Alberto Zamora announced the impact of ultra-processed foods (UPP) on life expectancy. He cited a study conducted by scientists at the University of Michigan. In the research, more than 5,800 of the most popular foods in the US were analyzed. This is how they evaluated their health risks.
Shortening life
The results show that eating a single hot dog shortens life by 36 minutes. And if taken with a soft drink, this time increases another 12 minutes. In addition, sausages such as Serrano ham can reduce life by 24 minutes. Eggs and breakfast sandwiches can shorten it by 13.6 minutes. These unhealthy foods contain nitrites and nitrates, and a lot of sugar. They increase the risk of premature death.
Bacon and cheeseburgers were also mentioned as foods that may reduce life expectancy. Each one does it in six and nine minutes, respectively. However, not all results were negative. If junk food can be measured in minutes of life, so can healthy foods. The researchers also studied foods that produce the opposite result. Every 10% of daily calories from fruits and vegetables, instead of beef and processed meat, could prolong life by about 48 minutes.
healthy food
Additionally, scientists found that a peanut butter and jelly sandwich was the best food for prolonging years of healthy life. It provided 32 minutes of healthy life. Nuts and seeds come in second place, with 24 minutes longer. And the fruit is the third, with 10 more minutes.
Based on this study, scientists developed the Health and Nutrition Index. This allows you to evaluate the impact of different foods on the body. This way they can find out how many minutes of life can be lost or gained as a result of their consumption.
