Ultra-processed meats 'boost risk of early death'

Eating ultra-processed meat products such as chicken nuggets and hot dogs can send you to an early grave, according to a major new study.

Researchers at Harvard University tracked the diets of more than 100,000 adults in the US for three decades, finding a link between the consumption of mass-produced foods and the risk of dying.

Diets high in ready-made processed meat and fish products appeared to be the most harmful, increasing the risk of death by 13 per cent. This category includes items such as shop-bought sausages, burgers, fish fingers, chicken nuggets and turkey twizzlers.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal, involved data from more than 114,000 middle-aged nurses and health professionals, who were tracked between 1984 and 2018.

The participants completed