Ultra-Processed Food and Diabetes

Hello and welcome to this book on Ultra-Processed Food and Diabetes.

There is increasing evidence of the impact of Ultra-processed foods on multiple metabolic and neurobiological pathways, including those involved in eating behaviors, both in animals and in humans.[1]

For people on the run, ultra processed food may become their go-to diet, sacrificing nutrition for convenience. While it may be convenient, consuming ultraprocessed foods on a regular basis increases a person’s risk of health complications including cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, obesity and Type 2 Diabetes. But it can be hard to tell when these foods are on your plate.[2]

A diet based on packaged products involves the consumption of small and repeated doses of food additives. At the end of the year, an average French adult ingests up to 10 kg. The calculation is worked out by French researchers in a study published in Scientific Reports[3].  [4]

 

As we replace whole foods with manufactured processed versions, we’re changing ourselves. 

·       Watch the BBC video on YouTube – “UK doctor switches to 80% ULTRA-processed food diet for 30 days.” - https://youtu.be/T4PFt4czJw0

This short video documents a UK doctor’s 30-day diet switch to highly processed food. The commentary on his eating habits and the foods he consumes is illuminating. In the 30-day period, he gained weight and his body deteriorated significantly. Before and after MRI scans of his brain were compared revealing new connections in his brain, similar to those of people with addiction.

It’s time to dive into the world of Ultra-processed foods and uncover how they can cause inflammation in our bodies, impacting our health in the short and long term.

Mark Ashford - [e-mail]

[1] Agnes Ayton M.D. M.Med.Sc.  F.R.C.Psych M.Sc Ali Ibrahim M.B.B.S. M.R.C. Psych  James Dugan B.M.B.Ch B.Sc Ph.D. Eimear Galvin B.Sc. Oliver Wroe Wright M.B.B.S. B.Sc. (Hons) M.R.C.S., "Ultra-Processed Foods and Binge Eating: A Retrospective Observational Study,"  (2021).

[2] MS Sara Berg, "What Doctors Wish Patients Knew About Ultraprocessed Foods,"  (2024).

[3] E. Chazelas, Druesne-Pecollo, N., Esseddik, Y. et al. Exposure to food additive mixtures in 106,000 French adults from the NutriNet-Santé cohort. Sci Rep 11, 19680 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-98496-6, "Exposure to Food Additive Mixtures in 106,000 French Adults from the Nutrinet-Santé Cohort,"  (2021).

[4] Marta Strinati, "Food Additives, We Ingest up to 10 Kg a Year. French Study,"  (2021).