SYDNEY, Dec. 11 (Xinhua) -- Australian research has found that consumption of ultra-processed food (UPF) is associated with faster biological aging.

In a new study, researchers from Monash University in Melbourne analyzed the diets of 16,055 people from the United States aged 20-79 with health and lifestyles comparable to those in other Western countries.

For every 10 percent of a person's daily caloric intake that came from UPFs, biological age rose by 2.4 months, the study found.

Biological age - also known as physiological or functional age - measures how old a person's cells and tissues are and can be affected by sleep quality, exercise, diet, water consumption and physical environment while chronological age refers to the time passed since birth and is fixed.

"Adults with higher ultra-processed foods tended to be biologically older," the study said.

UPFs include carbonated drinks, ice cream, chocolate, sweet or savory packaged snacks and instant noodles.

"The significance of our findings is tremendous, as our predictions show that for every 10 percent increase in ultra-processed food consumption there is a nearly two percent increased risk of mortality and 0.5 percent risk of incident chronic disease over two years," Barbara Cardoso, first author of the study from Monash University's Department of Nutrition, Dietetics and Food, said.

Those with the highest UPF intake had a biological age 0.86 years higher than those with the lowest UPF consumption.

According to the study, UPFs account for almost 40 percent of total energy intake among Australian adults.

Cardoso said the findings reinforced the need for dietary-focused public health strategies to prolong healthy lifespans.

The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the United States and Brazil. Enditem

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