Beyond diet and health: scoping umbrella review of the wider impact and influence of ultra-processed foods.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Research on Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF) chiefly focuses on their direct health impacts, with less attention to their wider harms and benefits. This review aimed to synthesise existing evidence on the potential wider impacts of UPF and the mechanisms through which these might operate and to identify evidence gaps to inform research, policy and practice.

Methods

Comprehensive searches on PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science were done in May 2025. All publication years and languages were considered. Eligible reviews were those that applied a systematic or structured review process. Findings were categorised by domain, level (mechanism, proximal outcome, distal impact), and type of exposure. A narrative synthesis was used to summarise patterns and identify evidence gaps

SUBMITTER: Ullian K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12805781 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature