Ultra-Processed Food: The New Cigarette Silently Hijacking Your Health

It’s common to crave foods like bread, buns, candies, and soft drinks, once in a while.

However, if you find yourself sneaking out at midnight to raid the fridge or pantry for a snack to satisfy those cravings, it might be time to reconsider this habit after hearing this important reason.

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Whether you smoke or not, overindulging in ultra-processed foods could put you at high risk of developing serious health issues.

Impacts of ultra-processed food on our health and behaviour

As Mark Hyman, MD, physician and author, warns, 'Ultra-processed food is the new cigarette,' and it can increase your chances of developing diseases related to processed foods such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health problems, and even early death.

During a podcast with Hyman, Dr. Christoffer Van Tulleken, a physician, scientist, and BBC broadcaster known for exploring the impacts of ultra-processed food on our health and behaviour, opened up about his personal experience.

He shared that "8 weeks after switching back to his diet", the effects remained surprisingly robust.

“We did functional MRI scans to analyze the connectivity between different parts of the brain, and the results were very surprising. These changes were incredibly robust and persisted for 8 weeks after I switched back to my original diet,” Dr. Tulleken explained.

Reasons why you're consuming excessive sugar, salt, and fat

In the podcast, Dr. Tulleken also referenced the World Health Organization (WHO), which advises that no more than 5% of your daily calories should come from free sugars.

He drew a comparison between almonds and Coke, stating, “Your body interacts with 1,000 calories from almonds very differently than it does with 100 calories from Coke.”

You may wonder what makes it possible to consume so much of these foods. Dr. Tulleken elaborated on the role of ultra-processed foods, saying, “The ultra-processing, such as the marketing, colouring, textural effects, and the chemical and thermal processing, allows you to consume so much sugar, salt, and fat.”