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A few years ago, it was hard to believe that packaged meat, chips, even breakfast cereals were unhealthy. New research is complicated, but it's possible to eat smart

- VIR SANGHVI

With each passing day, the news about the dangers posed by processed foods gets worse. About five years ago, when the campaign against Ultra Processed Foods (UPFS) first attracted attention, many of us were sceptical about claims that a packet of instant noodles or a bowl of breakfast cereal may end up damaging our health. It is now clear that some packaged foods may be much unhealthier than we realised.

The most recent study, presented last fortnight at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference, posits a strong connection between processed foods and dementia. The study tracked more than 130,000 adults in the US for up to 43 years, and its conclusions are alarming. The study found that eating packaged meats processed in a factory around twice a week meant that you had a 14% greater risk of developing dementia, compared to those who restricted their consumption to three servings a month.

Various experts have compared the stage we are currently at in the UPF debate to where we were in the 1970s on smoking. That was when evidence kept mounting that smoking was bad for you. And then too, powerful groups opposed the regulation of cigarettes on behalf of the multi-billion-dollar tobacco industry. Eventually, the evidence became overwhelming and health warnings and restrictions on smoking had to be introduced.