A recently published observational study involving 44,551 french adults over the age of 45 indicated a statistically significant relationship between the consumption of ultra-processed foods (breakfast cereals, soup and noodles, energy bars, etc.) and all-cause mortality - even after adjusting for differences in BMI, activity levels and other confounding variables. The authors speculate carcinogens from high-temp processing, additives or packaging contaminants may be to blame.