People whose diets are heavy in highly processed foods increased thigh muscle fattiness even if they did not eat excessive calories, scientists have found, in another sign the products’ health risks could stretch beyond overconsumption. The study, to be presented on Wednesday at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America in Chicago, will intensify debate over the risks of so-called ultra-processed foods.

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    While attention has focused on how the industrial addition of appealing ingredients such as flavourings, sugars, fats and salt can lead to overconsumption and obesity, new research on other possible health problems caused by UPFs is still emerging.

“Muscle fattiness seemed to happen regardless of calorie intake,” said Zehra Akkaya, part of the team of Turkey- and US-based researchers. “We hypothesise that muscle fatty infiltration is related to the type of food — ultra-processed foods in the diet.”

UPFs refer to mass-produced goods, made mostly from substances extracted from whole foods, such as fats, starches and added sugars, and formulated to be more palatable to consumers.

There is no generally agreed definition of the term, which was coined by Brazilian nutritional scientist Carlos Monteiro as part of the Nova food classification system he developed to assess the diets’ impact on health.

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    Early studies have linked UPFs to diseases including cancer, obesity and heart diseases. Research since has suggested they may contribute to many other health problems, from tooth decay to dementia and accelerated ageing.

The scientists examined muscle fattiness grades from magnetic resonance images of 666 participants at risk of osteoarthritis, a chronic joint condition that causes pain, swelling and restricted movement and estimated to affect more than half a billion people worldwide. Osteoarthritis may be linked to deterioration in the health of the thighs, as streaks of fat replace muscle fibres.

The study’s subjects — more than two-thirds of whom were men — were on average 60 years old and overweight, with a body mass index of 27. About 40 per cent of the foods they ate in the previous year were ultra-processed, the researchers said.

The scientists used a questionnaire that asked how often and in what quantities participants had consumed particular foods and drinks over the previous 12 months. They used the classification system developed by Monteiro and others to assess processing levels.