Ultraprocessed foods are the new cigarettes: study

Ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) are associated with several preventable diseases and must be viewed not only through a nutritional lens but also as addictive, industrially engineered substances, which can be likened to cigarettes, suggests a recent study.

“UPFs are not just nutrients but intentionally designed, highly engineered and manipulated, hedonically optimized products,” the researchers said. [Nat Food 2025;6:216-219; Addiction 2023;118:603-604]

“Drawing on the history of tobacco regulation, we examine how the design, marketing, and distribution of UPFs mirror those of industrial tobacco products,” they noted.

This review merged findings from addiction science, nutrition, and public health history to shed light on the structural and sensory features that fuel the reinforcing potential of both UPFs and cigarettes. Focus was given on five key areas, namely dose optimization, delivery speed, hedonic engineering, environmental ubiquity, and deceptive reformulation.

The researchers identified relevant studies by searching the databases of PubMed and Google Scholar, using terms such as “food addiction,” “ultraprocessed foods,” and “tobacco industry practices.” They also obtained additional references from foundational works and bibliographies of key studies.

Based on the pooled findings, cigarettes and UPFs should not only be considered simply as natural products but “highly engineered delivery systems” aimed at maximizing biological and psychological reinforcement and habitual overuse. [Milbank Q 2026;doi:10.1111/1468-0009.70066]

Both industries apply similar strategies to “increase product appeal, evade regulation, and shape public perception.” Such schemes include the addition of sensory additives, acceleration of reward delivery, expansion of contextual access, and deployment of health-washing claims.

Collectively, these design features “hijack human biology, undermine individual agency, and contribute … to disease and healthcare costs.”

Precise engineering

One key feature of both cigarettes and UPFs is how these products are engineered precisely to provide a predictable experience, and such design is intentional. [Brandt, Allan M. The cigarette century: the rise, fall, and deadly persistence of the product that defined America. Basic Books (AZ), 2007; Moss M. Salt, Sugar, Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us. Random House; 2013]

“It is a core mechanism by which both industries cultivate consumer loyalty and sustain habitual use,” the researchers said. “Through industrial processing and design, these products are optimized not only for sensory appeal but also for uniformity in delivery, ensuring that each use feels familiar, satisfying, and reinforcing.”

Just like how cigarettes deliver reinforcing ingredients, UPFs often contain higher energy density than whole or minimally processed foods, storing more “reward” into every bite. [Front Nutr 2019;6:70]

“Over time, portion sizes of UPFs have increased substantially, paralleling the evolution of cigarettes from shorter sticks to longer, more potent units,” the researchers said. “By contrast, minimally processed foods such as fruits, vegetables, and legumes have not increased in size to the same extent.” [Am J Public Health 2021;111:2223-2226]

Insatiable

Natural foods normally induce satiety over time, thus limiting consumption. [Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023;378:20220214; Cell Metab 2019;30:67-77.e3]

On the contrary, UPFs are created “to override satiety signals, making it easy to consume large quantities without feeling fullness.” [Prev Med Rep 2024;47:102902; Moss M. Hooked: Food, Free Will, and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions. Random House; 2021]

Notably, “[l]essons from tobacco regulation, including litigation, marketing restrictions, and structural interventions, offer a roadmap for reducing UPF-related harm,” the researchers said.

“Public health efforts must shift from individual responsibility to food industry accountability, recognizing UPFs as potent drivers of preventable disease,” they added.

UPFs are associated with the risks of heart disease, cancer, metabolic disease, diabetes, and obesity, according to the researchers, adding that these products may also increase the rates of neurologic issues, such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease, and potentially contribute to premature death.