ultra-processed

[ uhl-truh-pros-est ]

adjective

1. being, consisting of, or relating to a food product whose form and substance have gone through multiple processes of modification along with the addition of such ingredients as sugars, salt, fats, and artificial preservatives, colors, or flavors:

   My intake of ultra-processed foods is down to an occasional hotdog at the ballpark and one weekly order of chicken nuggets.

   The study found that participants eating an ultra-processed diet ate faster.

Word History and Origins

Origin of ultra-processed¹

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

These ultra-processed foods usually have longer shelf lives and are highly appealing, as they are convenient and contain a combination of sugar, fat, salt and carbohydrates which affect the brain's reward system, making it hard to stop eating.

From Science Daily

For the study, researchers set out to assess the association of ultra-processed food intake and their relationship to intramuscular fat in the thigh.

From Science Daily

"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 author Zehra Akkaya, M.D., researcher and former Fulbright Scholar in the Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging at the University of California, San Francisco.

From Science Daily

Approximately 40% of the foods that they ate in the past year were ultra-processed.

From Science Daily

"In an adult population at risk for but without knee or hip osteoarthritis, consuming ultra-processed foods is linked to increased fat within the thigh muscles," Dr. Akkaya said.

From Science Daily