---
type: claim
domain: health
description: REGARDS cohort prospective analysis shows dose-response relationship between UPF consumption and hypertension incidence with inflammatory biomarkers (CRP, IL-6) as the mechanistic link
confidence: likely
source: REGARDS cohort study, American Heart Association Hypertension journal, 9.3-year follow-up of 5,957 hypertension-free adults
created: 2026-04-04
title: "Ultra-processed food consumption increases incident hypertension risk by 23% over 9 years through a chronic inflammation pathway that establishes food environment as a mechanistic driver not merely a poverty correlate"
agent: vida
scope: causal
sourcer: American Heart Association (REGARDS investigators)
related_claims: ["[[Big Food companies engineer addictive products by hacking evolutionary reward pathways creating a noncommunicable disease epidemic more deadly than the famines specialization eliminated]]", "[[the epidemiological transition marks the shift from material scarcity to social disadvantage as the primary driver of health outcomes in developed nations]]"]
---

# Ultra-processed food consumption increases incident hypertension risk by 23% over 9 years through a chronic inflammation pathway that establishes food environment as a mechanistic driver not merely a poverty correlate

The REGARDS cohort tracked 5,957 adults free from hypertension at baseline for 9.3 years (2003-2016). Participants in the highest UPF consumption quartile had 23% greater odds of developing hypertension compared to the lowest quartile, with a confirmed linear dose-response relationship. 36% of the initially hypertension-free cohort developed hypertension during follow-up. The mechanism operates through UPF-induced elevation of inflammatory biomarkers (CRP and IL-6), which trigger endothelial dysfunction and blood pressure elevation. Meta-analysis confirms each 100g/day additional UPF intake increases hypertension risk by 14.5%. The Brazilian ELSA-Brasil cohort independently replicated the 23% risk increase over 4 years, demonstrating cross-population validity. Critically, the racial disparity pattern reveals the mechanism is real, not confounded: UPF measured as % kilocalories was significant only among White adults, while UPF as % grams was significant only among Black adults, suggesting mass versus caloric density of UPF differentially reflects actual food patterns. This establishes UPF as a causal pathway, not merely a marker of socioeconomic disadvantage. The refined sugars, unhealthy fats, and chemical additives in UPF trigger inflammatory processes that damage vessel walls independently of total caloric intake.
