The BMJ just published the world’s largest scientific review of its kind, involving almost 10 million people from 45 meta-analyses, stating that diets high in processed food are linked to 32 harmful health effects. This includes cancer, asthma, mental illness, heart disease, and more.
The review defined ultra processed foods as “ready to eat products, including packaged snacks, carbonated soft drinks, instant noodles, and ready-made meals.” They are “composed of chemically modified substances extracted from foods, along with additives to enhance taste, texture, appearance, and durability, with minimal to no inclusion of whole foods.”
Proposed reasons for the negative health outcomes:
- Poor nutrient profiles in UPFs lack fiber, micronutrients, and protein.
- Food processing affects digestion, nutrient absorption, and feelings of satiety (meaning you eat a lot but never feel full).
- The abundance of UPFs takes the place of fruit, veggies, nuts, seeds, legumes, and all the polyphenols they contain.
- Exposure to additives like artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers, and colors lead to negative health outcomes.
- A combination of multiple additives can have a “cocktail” effect, increasing risks more than just one additive alone.
- The packaging itself increases risk of exposure to known toxins like microplastics and pthalates.
- The high-calorie hyperpalatability of the food (“betcha can’t have just one”) leads to quickly overconsuming so you still feel hungry, increasing consumption over time—and more negative health effects.
If you are on a low-calorie diet that utilizes packaged, processed foods, you’re not in the clear either. It states that “ultra-processed weight loss formulations composed of ostensibly balanced nutrient profiles but containing different additives, including non-sugar sweeteners, may have adverse effects on the gut microbiome—which is thought to play an important function in many of the diseases studied here—and related inflammation.”
Finally, “no reason exists to believe that humans can fully adapt to these products. The body may react to them as useless or harmful, so its systems may become impaired or damaged, depending on their vulnerability and the amount of ultra-processed food consumed.”
Like I’ve said before, you simply can’t intuitively eat anything that has been engineered to hook your neurotransmitters, leading to overconsumption, more hunger, and a depletion of essential nutrients that create neurotransmitters in the first place.
My conclusion?
1. Eat whole food as much as you can. Stock your fridge and pantry with items that didn’t require much processing. Read the ingredients. Avoid artificial sweeteners, colors, and additives.
2. Stay away from fake-food diet plans, too.
3. Sign up for my emails for monthly recipes and and meal plans using nothing but whole food sources. Link to article and my email below.
4. Like and share this post with a friend! Awareness is the first step. Know better; do better.
