Illustration of a bag full of unhealthy ultra-processed foods (hot dog, doughnut, soda, processed meat, french fries, onion rings); the bag has a red circle with an X on it.

The study included 768 people (average age of 71) who had MRI scans of their carotid arteries. Researchers divided participants into four groups based on their intake of ultra-processed food. These foods tend to be high in added sugar, fat, salt, and calories and low in healthy nutrients like protein and fiber. People with the top quartile consumed about 11 daily servings of ultra-processed foods (mostly bread, pizza, cookies, and pastries), compared to 4.5 servings per day among those in the lowest quartile.