The ultra-processed food link to weak bones and hip fracture

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are industrially formulated products. Specifically, manufacturers make them from substances extracted from foods, derived from food components, or synthesized in a laboratory.

On top of that, they pack them with high amounts of salt, non-nutritive sweeteners and unhealthy fats. Then come the emulsifiers, preservatives, bulking or anti-caking agents and artificial colors.

As a result, they’re energy-dense but practically devoid of whole-food ingredients.

And they’re designed to make you want to eat more of them.

In fact, they seem like the perfect trap…

According to MDAnderson.org: “In the production process, they are stripped of the nutrients that help our bodies feel good and stay healthy.”

Moreover, these UPFs have previously been linked with heart problems, diabetes, hypertension, and specific cancers.

Most recently, a Tulane University study has found that people who eat more UPFs have lower bone mineral density and a higher risk of hip fractures.

Ultra-processed foods destroy your bones

Researchers assessed health and lifestyle data on 160,000 participants from the UK Biobank database. In total, this made it one of the largest studies of its kind.

On average, people consumed about eight servings of UPFs daily. Notably, for every 3.7 extra servings, the risk of hip fracture rose by 10.5 percent.

That extra three or four servings a day is just one meal — for example, a frozen dinner, a cookie, and a soda. In other words, that’s all it takes to raise the risk of hip fracture by over ten percent!

According to co-corresponding author Lu Qi, professor at the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at Tulane University, “Our study cohort was followed for over 12 years, and we found that high intakes of ultra-processed foods were linked to a reduction in bone mineral density at several sites, including key areas of the upper femur and the lumbar spine region.”

The association was stronger among people under age 65, who likely had healthier digestive function. That could have allowed for better absorption of the unhealthy UPF ingredients.

But that’s likely not the only reason…

She added that, “Ultra-processed foods have been consistently associated with various nutrition-related disorders, and bone health depends on proper nutrition.”

Healthy bones need nutrition

As the researchers noted, their study builds on prior research linking UPFs to weak bones…

For example, research from 2024 found that a high intake of UPFs raises the risk of osteoporosis.

A 2016 study found that living near fast-food restaurants was associated with babies having weaker bones.

It’s not rocket science…

Our bones require specific nutrients to stay strong and hard.

But diets high in UPFs are directly linked to nutritional deficiencies, including the very vitamins and minerals required for healthy bones: calcium, vitamin D3, vitamin K2 and magnesium.

And all that salt in UPFs? Eating too much salt causes your body to lose calcium through urine. Over time, this weakens your bones and can lead to osteoporosis.

So, the answer here is obvious: Eat more whole foods and eat much less (if any) UPFs.

But what’s not so obvious is telling the UPFs from the “middle ground.” Processed foods are those that have undergone minimal processing to last longer and taste better.

Most importantly, they still retain most of their original nutritional value.

For help with that, check out this short and sweet guide.

Sources:

Associations of ultra-processed food intake with bone mineral density and fractures in the UK Biobank — Cambridge University Press

Eating more ultra-processed foods linked to poorer bone health, study finds — Eureka Alert

Association between ultra-processed food and osteoporosis: a cross-sectional study based on the NHANES database — Nutrition and Metabolism

The share of ultra-processed foods and the overall nutritional quality of diets in the US: evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional study — Population Health Metrics