The Rise of Ultra-Processed Disease: Food, Health, and the Hidden Costs

Previously, we have already covered that healthcare systems are struggling with an emerging crisis. It might seem that it is rooted only in infrastructure and staffing, but that is just the tip of the iceberg. In reality, many factors contribute to today healthcare crisis and of them is what people eat every day - Ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Once considered a convenience, they are now fueling a silent epidemic of preventable diseases. These industrial food products, designed for taste and shelf life over nutrition, based on the studies, now make up over 50% of daily caloric intake in many Western diets.

The consequences are becoming more and more prominent. According to the Lancet Regional Health – Europe, individuals with the highest UPF consumption face a 23% higher risk of developing cancer and cardiometabolic diseases. This dietary shift is reshaping the landscape of public health nutrition, fueling higher rates of colon cancer, cardiovascular disease, and chronic inflammation, especially among aging populations.

This blog post builds on the chapter from our playbook, "Before It Hurts: How Data Cuts Costs for Healthcare Payors." We see ultra-processed food as a critical factor driving healthcare costs and poor outcomes. In this blog post, we explore the physiological mechanisms by which UPFs harm health, the rising financial and productivity burden for insurers, and the strategic role digital tools can play in tracking dietary risks.

What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs), as classified by the NOVA system, are industrial formulations made primarily or entirely from substances extracted from food, modified through chemical processes, and often enhanced with additives to improve flavor, texture, and shelf life. These additives include artificial sweeteners, colorants, preservatives, emulsifiers, and flavor enhancers designed to maximize palatability and convenience.

Common examples of UPFs include:

  • Sugary breakfast cereals, packaged snacks, and processed baked goods
  • Sweetened beverages, sodas, and energy drinks
  • Reconstituted meat products like chicken nuggets and hot dogs
  • Ready-to-eat meals and ultra-processed breads with long shelf lives

While UPFs are appealing due to their convenience and affordability, they often lack essential nutrients such as fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. They are typically high in sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats, contributing to poor dietary quality overall.

The rising dominance of UPFs in modern diets represents a critical inflection point in public health nutrition. Addressing this trend requires coordinated efforts from healthcare payors, digital health platforms, and policymakers to monitor intake, educate consumers, and design effective intervention strategies.

The Science Linking UPFs to Disease

Ultra-processed foods are not merely "unhealthy", they introduce a complex, multi-system risk profile that can silently accelerate the onset of chronic disease. Emerging evidence shows that their effects go well beyond excess calories:

  • Metabolic disruption: A high intake of refined sugars, trans fats, and synthetic additives interferes with glucose regulation and insulin sensitivity, promoting the development of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes.
  • Gut microbiome imbalance: Ingredients like emulsifiers, preservatives, and artificial sweeteners have been shown to disrupt the gut's microbial diversity, leading to chronic inflammation, compromised immunity, and gastrointestinal disorders such as IBS and colorectal cancer.
  • Neurocognitive impact: Diets rich in ultra-processed foods are associated with impaired cognitive performance, mood instability, and higher prevalence of depression and anxiety, particularly among adolescents and aging populations.
  • Appetite dysregulation: These foods are engineered to bypass natural satiety mechanisms, increasing the likelihood of habitual overeating, poor nutritional adequacy, and sustained weight gain.

Together, these effects form a dangerous feedback loop, undermining metabolic resilience, increasing disease susceptibility, and placing sustained demand on already-stretched health systems. From cancers of the colon and rectum to obesity and mental health disorders, ultra-processed disease is reshaping the epidemiology of modern healthcare.

How UPFs Affect Public Health and Nutrition

Ultra-Processed Foods and Cancer

Cancer is one of the most pressing concerns associated with ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption. These products often contain synthetic additives, colorings, emulsifiers, and preservatives, substances linked to cellular stress and chronic inflammation. Research has shown:

  • High UPF consumption is correlated with increased risk of colorectal and gastrointestinal cancers.
  • Additives can disrupt the gut lining, potentially increasing permeability and carcinogenic exposure.
  • Frequent intake of processed meats, sugary beverages, and packaged snacks contributes to a dietary environment that fosters oxidative stress and immune dysregulation.

Epidemiological studies confirm that individuals consuming a diet high in UPFs have a statistically higher incidence of various cancer types, with colorectal cancer being the most frequently cited. Check our Oncology Treatment page to see how we connect wearables and health apps to help oncology teams!

Obesity: A Direct Outcome of Nutritional Engineering

Obesity, one of the most visible outcomes of ultra-processed diets, continues to climb across the EU. According to WHO’s Obesity Report, nearly 60% of European adults are now overweight or obese, with troubling projections for the next decade. The health risks associated with this rise include:

  • Elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.
  • Childhood obesity rates are escalating, suggesting a multi-generational public health crisis.
  • UPFs are designed for overconsumption, often bypassing the body’s natural satiety cues.

These trends are not only linked to lifestyle but to the engineered nature of these foods, engineered to addict, overfeed, and undernourish. For more information on how to trck calories with wearable, check our blog post here!

Diseases of the Colon and Rectum: A Hidden Epidemic

Colorectal diseases are uniquely sensitive to dietary inputs. Diets low in fiber and high in processed meats and emulsifiers disturb gut microbiota and increase inflammation. The effects include:

  • A rising prevalence of inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.
  • Based on the recent studies, each 10% increase in UPF consumption raises the risk of colon and rectum disease.
  • The European healthcare system is already seeing the strain from rising colonoscopy and surgical intervention rates.

Ultra-processed foods are now a primary contributor to digestive tract diseases, conditions that are costly, invasive to treat, and preventable with dietary change.

Chronic conditions driven by poor nutrition now account for over 70% of healthcare costs in developed nations. These aren’t short-term, treat-and-discharge issues, they’re lifelong, resource-intensive conditions that threaten the financial sustainability of public and private insurers alike. Get more insights on IBS tracking with wearables here!

How Insurers and Payors Can Contribute

The rise of ultra-processed disease presents a critical financial and operational challenge for insurers. With claims rising, treatment durations extending, and outcomes worsening, every segment of the healthcare value chain is under pressure. But within this crisis lies opportunity—especially for payors who are ready to shift from reactive to preventive models of care.

By leveraging modern digital tools and personalized engagement strategies, payors can:

  1. Identify high-risk populations by using mobile SDK-enabled apps that collect real-time data on activity, weight, glucose, and dietary behavior.
  2. Deliver early interventions such as adaptive health nudges, nutrition guidance, and digital screening tools for metabolic or cardiovascular risk. Check our predictive analysis page!
  3. Launch food-aware, data-driven prevention programs that integrate continuous lifestyle and biometric monitoring through wearables, meal-logging apps, and behavioral sensors.
  4. Scale non-clinical interventions by deploying digital therapeutics, peer coaching, and habit formation tools personalized to each member’s risk profile.

Through proactive, data-enabled prevention strategies, payors can reduce disease onset, slow its progression, and cut long-term costs, while simultaneously improving quality of care and life for their members.

Digital Infrastructure As The Solution

Modern prevention isn’t built on flyers and food pyramids, it’s built on real-time, actionable data. Specifically, insurers need a continuous stream of biometric and behavioral signals that can connect dietary habits to measurable health outcomes. This is where Thryve’s mobile SDK delivers transformative value.

Thryve’s SDK enables payors to:

  • Continuously collect real-time data from 500+ wearables, apps, and now even camera-based sources, covering metrics like activity, sleep, HRV, and glucose.
  • Correlate behavioral inputs, such as food intake, symptom reporting, and stress patterns, with biometric signals to build a more holistic member profile.
  • Automate health engagement through tailored nudges that promote healthier eating, movement, and stress reduction behaviors.
  • Establish longitudinal insights that track how nutrition choices impact health risk over time, from gut health to chronic disease development.

Thryve helps insurers go beyond fragmented health data to create an integrated, mobile-first prevention platform, making ultra-processed disease something you catch before it takes hold.

Preventing The Crisis with Thryve

The food system is changing. Consumer habits are changing. We have covered that in details in our latest blog post about lifestyle changes. But also the disease burden is changing. Many healthcare and insurance models remain reactive, focused on treating the damage rather than preventing the cause.

To address the rise of ultra-processed disease, payors must act at the intersection of food, health, and technology. With the right data infrastructure and prevention mindset, we can shift from crisis response to long-term health resilience. Our API is designed to help payors and insurers to solve the upcoming healthcare crisis. We offer:  

  • Seamless Integration with +500 data sources: Connect to a wide range of devices and medical sensors, including Apple, Fitbit, Garmin, and more, with one standardized API.
  • Harmonized Data Models: Harmonize metrics from different sources (activity, sleep, HRV) into a single, actionable format.
  • Secure Infrastructure: Ensure GDPR-compliant, encrypted, and privacy-first data management.
  • Custom Rules and Triggers: Automate nudges, milestones, and feedback based on individual real-time data.

In the era of ultra-processed disease, the real cure begins before symptoms ever appear.
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