Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Feb 28;17(5):859.
doi: 10.3390/nu17050859.

The Detrimental Impact of Ultra-Processed Foods on the Human Gut Microbiome and Gut Barrier

Debora Rondinella  1   2   3 , Pauline Celine Raoul  4   5 , Eleonora Valeriani  1   2   3 , Irene Venturini  1   2   3 , Marco Cintoni  4   5 , Andrea Severino  1   2   3 , Francesca Sofia Galli  1   2 , Vincenzina Mora  1   2 , Maria Cristina Mele  1   2   4 , Giovanni Cammarota  1   2   3 , Antonio Gasbarrini  1   2   3 , Emanuele Rinninella  4   5 , Gianluca Ianiro  1   2   3
Affiliations
Review

The Detrimental Impact of Ultra-Processed Foods on the Human Gut Microbiome and Gut Barrier

Debora Rondinella et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have become a widely consumed food category in modern diets. However, their impact on gut health is raising increasing concerns. This review investigates how UPFs impact the gut microbiome and gut barrier, emphasizing gut dysbiosis and increased gut permeability. UPFs, characterized by a high content of synthetic additives and emulsifiers, and low fiber content, are associated with a decrease in microbial diversity, lower levels of beneficial bacteria like Akkermansia muciniphila and Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and an increase in pro-inflammatory microorganisms. These alterations in the microbial community contribute to persistent inflammation, which is associated with various chronic disorders including metabolic syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal cancer. In addition, UPFs may alter the gut-brain axis, potentially affecting cognitive function and mental health. Dietary modifications incorporating fiber, fermented foods, and probiotics can help mitigate the effects of UPFs. Furthermore, the public needs stricter regulations for banning UPFs, along with well-defined food labels. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the mechanisms connecting UPFs to gut dysbiosis and systemic illnesses, thereby informing evidence-based dietary guidelines.

Keywords: gut barrier; gut microbiome; ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

G.C. has received personal fees for acting as advisor for Ferring Therapeutics. A.G. reports personal fees for consultancy from Eisai Srl, 3PSolutions, Real Time Meeting, Fondazione Istituto Danone, SinergieSrl, Board MRGE, and Sanofi SpA personal fees for acting as a speaker for Takeda SpA, AbbVie, and Sandoz SpA, and personal fees for acting on advisory boards for VSL3 and Eisai. G.I. has received personal fees for acting as speaker for Biocodex, Danone, Sofar, Malesci, Metagenics, and Tillotts Pharma, and for acting as consultant and/or advisor for Ferring Therapeutics, Giuliani, Malesci, and Tillotts Pharma. All other authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The detrimental effect of UPFs on the gut microbiome and on the gut barrier.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Kåhrström C.T., Pariente N., Weiss U. Intestinal microbiota in health and disease. Nature. 2016;535:47. doi: 10.1038/535047a. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Monteiro C.A., Cannon G., Moubarac J.C., Levy R.B., Louzada M.L., Jaime P.C. The UN Decade of Nutrition, the NOVA food classification and the trouble with ultra-processing. Public Health Nutr. 2018;21:5–17. doi: 10.1017/S1368980017000234. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cordova R., Viallon V., Fontvieille E., Peruchet-Noray L., Jansana A., Wagner K.H., Kyrø C., Tjønneland A., Katzke V., Bajracharya R., et al. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and risk of multimorbidity of cancer and cardiometabolic diseases: A multinational cohort study. Lancet Reg. Health Eur. 2023;35:100771. doi: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100771. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Khoshbin K., Camilleri M. Effects of dietary components on intestinal permeability in health and disease. Am. J. Physiol. Gastrointest Liver Physiol. 2020;319:G589–G608. doi: 10.1152/ajpgi.00245.2020. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lane M.M., Davis J.A., Beattie S., Gómez-Donoso C., Loughman A., O’Neil A., Jacka F., Berk M., Page R., Marx W., et al. Ultra-processed food and chronic noncommunicable diseases: A systematic review and meta-analysis of 43 observational studies. Obes. Rev. 2021;22:e13146. doi: 10.1111/obr.13146. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources