Study Finds Concerning Effects of Ultra-Processed Foods on Muscle Quality

Talk to any doctor and nutritionist and they'll tell you switching to a diet made up of mostly whole foods can be a game-changer for your health. Not only can cutting out highly processed eats help you build a stronger immune system but it can also help you increase necessary fiber and may even lead to weight loss. Plus, cutting out ultra-processed food may even decrease the amount of fat in your muscle tissue, a new study shows. 

The study, which is set to be presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), analyzed data from 666 individuals who did not have osteoarthritis—a degenerative joint disease that causes the cartilage and tissues in a joint break down over time. 

Of the 666 individuals with an average age of 60 years old, 455 were men and 211 were women. On average, participants were overweight and nearly 40 percent of the foods they ate in the last year were considered ultra-processed. Foods such as ready-to-eat meals, mass-produced packaged breads, margarines, and packaged snacks were amongst the foods listed as being highly processed. 

Related: This Type of Exercise Could Suppress Appetite, Study Finds

The researchers found that the more ultra-processed foods the individuals consumed, the higher level of intramuscular fat they had in their thigh muscles, regardless of their exercise habits and calorie consumption. 

“The novelty of this study is that it investigates the impact of diet quality, specifically the role of ultra-processed foods in relation to intramuscular fat in the thigh muscles assessed by MRI,” said study author Zehra Akkaya, M.D. “This is the first imaging study looking into the relationship between MRI-based skeletal muscle quality and quality of diet.”

According to the researchers, having higher levels of fat, specifically in the thigh area, can increase the risk for knee and hip osteoarthritis, an increasing concern for healthcare workers in the United States and worldwide. 

“Osteoarthritis is an increasingly prevalent and costly global health issue. It is the largest contributor to non-cancer related health care costs in the U.S. and around the world,” Dr. Akkaya said. “Since this condition is highly linked to obesity and unhealthy lifestyle choices, there are potential avenues for lifestyle modification and disease management.”

This study may help more people understand that not only can a healthy diet filled with nutritious foods rather than processed items help you lose weight, but it can also offer valuable insights into how dietary influences impact muscle health.

“Understanding this relationship could have important clinical implications, as it offers a new perspective on how diet quality affects musculoskeletal health,” Dr. Akkaya said.