Ultraprocessed foods are mass-produced using industrial formulations and often contain a mix of chemicals, starches, sugars, oils, and fats that are all bad for the liver. They include products like sodas, packaged baked goods, sugary cereals, and microwe-ready meals.
“Ultraprocessed foods contain a high amount of the bad sugars and fats that cause fatty liver,” Kardashian says. “These include saturated fats, fructose, and high fructose corn syrup, all of which can lead to fat buildup and inflammation in the liver.”
They also tend to be high in salt, Kirkpatrick says. “If we assess where most salt comes into the American diet, it is often through ultraprocessed foods, which he been tied to worsening liver health,” Kirkpatrick says.
One study published in Nutrients in 2023 found that people who consumed the most ultraprocessed foods were 42 percent more likely to develop MASLD than people whose diets had the lowest amounts of these foods.
Another study published in Nutrients in 2022 found that the amount of fat and scarring in the liver increased in lockstep with the amount of ultraprocessed foods people consumed.
As with other foods that don’t promote optimal liver health Kirpatrick encourages patients to consume ultraprocessed foods in moderation and try as much as possible to replace them with healthier alternatives. Even when you cre a convenient snack, there can be healthier options when you read the label and look for fewer ingredients — one sign of less processing — and lower levels of salts, sugars, and unhealthy fats.
“Processing of foods vary, so not every potato chip or pretzel is ultraprocessed,” Kirkpatrick says.