Latest news with #UPFs
New Indian Express
4 days ago
- Health
- New Indian Express
Ultra-processed food vs Mental Health
Yet another concerning effect of ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption has come to light — and this time, it's not just about physical health. A recent study published in the journal Food Science & Nutrition has revealed a strong connection between UPF consumption, addictive eating patterns, and psychological distress, including anxiety, tension, and low mood. Experts decode the findings for CE, explaining why UPFs may be as emotionally harmful as they are nutritionally questionable. Ultra-processed foods have long been criticised for their poor nutritional value. Now, new evidence shows their impact runs deeper. Sujatha Stephen, RD, chief nutritionist at Yashoda Hospitals, Malakpet, points to the study conducted in Ankara, Turkey, involving nearly 4,000 adults. 'The research revealed a significant association between high UPF intake and emotional states like depression, anxiety, and stress, along with addictive eating behaviours,' she said. 'It suggests that UPF consumption may not be a mere dietary choice, but rather a coping mechanism for managing emotional discomfort,' she added. Sujatha explains that this coping mechanism is amplified by the way these foods are designed. Rich in sugar, salt, and fat — and engineered to be hyper-palatable — UPFs activate the brain's reward systems, providing temporary emotional relief. 'Those with higher scores on the Yale Food Addiction Scale also reported greater UPF consumption,' she explained, adding, 'Emotional states like depression and anxiety were positively correlated with UPF intake, further reinforcing the idea that distress can lead to overconsumption.' The study also revealed notable demographic patterns. Younger individuals, women, single people, and those not currently employed were more likely to consume high levels of UPFs. 'These groups may be more vulnerable due to lifestyle stressors and limited access to healthier alternatives,' she observed. This underscores the need for a multidimensional approach that combines nutritional guidance, mental health support, and community-level interventions.
The Star
12-06-2025
- Health
- The Star
Stop eating ultraprocessed food if you don't want an early death
With their poor diet, Americans face the highest increased risk of death among eight countries. — TNS People eating ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) might be snacking their way to an earlier death, says research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine . From white bread to soda, the hallmark features of UPFs include added sugar, salt, hydrogenated fats, artificial colours, preservatives and starches. UPFs make up roughly 58% of American diets, the most out of any country. According to lead study investigator Eduardo Nilson, as far as diets go, it's a potentially deadly one. 'We first estimated a linear association between the dietary share of UPFs and all-cause mortality, so that each 10% increase in the participation of UPFs in the diet increases the risk of death from all causes by 3%,' he said in a news release. Nilson and his team of researchers pooled data on UPFs from eight countries, including the United States. Worldwide, the US outranked every other featured country for having the highest concentration of UPFs in its diets. Americans consequently faced the highest increased risk of death – nearly 14%. The study estimated 124,000 premature deaths within the US were attributable to UPF consumption in 2018 alone. UPF consumption has previously been linked to 32 health conditions, including cancers, obesity and high blood pressure. Nilson and his team's work, however, has given researchers a better understanding of precisely how all of those different influences may be putting consumers at risk. 'UPFs affect health beyond the individual impact of high content of critical nutrients (sodium, trans fats and sugar) because of the changes in the foods during industrial processing and the use of artificial ingredients, including colourants, artificial flavours and sweeteners, emulsifiers and many other additives and processing aids. 'So, assessing deaths from all-causes associated with UPF consumption allows an overall estimate of the effect of industrial food processing on health,' Nilson explained. While the US is facing the highest rate of attributable premature deaths, UPFs are becoming an expanding issue in many other countries. 'It is concerning that, while in high-income countries UPF consumption is already high but relatively stable for over a decade, in low- and middle-income countries the consumption has continuously increased, meaning that while the attributable burden in high-income countries is currently higher, it is growing in the other countries,' Nilson said. 'This shows that policies that disincentivise the consumption of UPFs are urgently needed globally, promoting traditional dietary patterns based on local fresh and minimally processed foods.' For this study, Nilson's team processed data on UPF consumption in Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the US. – The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Tribune News Service
New York Post
23-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Furious NYC moms rail against toxins in kid foods
Tara Ferrara's 7-year-old daughter began suffering from a baffling mix of symptoms four years ago — nausea, stomach pain and sudden, intense panic that struck without warning. As dozens of doctors worked to pinpoint the cause, they put the girl on a strict diet low in highly processed foods and free of gluten, dairy, corn, soy and histamines. For Ferrara, 39, figuring out what her daughter could safely eat was like trying to understand a foreign language. Advertisement 8 The Ferrara family strives to follow a diet packed with clean, whole foods. Clarissa Byrne 'Sometimes I feel like I can't work because I literally need to research food,' Ferrara, a speech and language pathologist from Brooklyn, told The Post. Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) make up nearly 70% of calories in American kids' diets — and a jaw-dropping new White House report warns they may be fueling the nationwide rise in childhood chronic diseases. Advertisement The Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Commission's report marks the Trump administration's first major push to confront what it calls a 'crisis' affecting more than 40% of young people across the country. 'We will follow the truth wherever it leads, uphold rigorous science, and drive bold policies that put the health, development and future of every child first,' HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., said Thursday. Two New York moms raising children with chronic health issues told The Post that it can be an uphill battle to keep their kids' diets clean in a country where UPFs dominate supermarket shelves. UPFs explained Advertisement While there's no single, universally accepted definition, UPFs are generally packaged, ready-to-eat products that undergo extensive industrial processing to boost their flavor, texture and shelf life. They're often loaded with added sugar, salt, unhealthy fats and refined grains — and packed with preservatives, artificial colors, flavors, emulsifiers and stabilizers not commonly used in home cooking. 8 Most Americans don't go a day without eating ultra-processed foods. beats_ – UPFs usually contain little to no fruits, vegetables or whole grains and are typically low in fiber and other essential nutrients. Advertisement Researchers estimate that about 70% of the 300,000-plus branded food products in grocery stores fall into this category. Food fight Two years into the strict diet, Ferrara is still navigating the minefield — and slip-ups come with serious consequences. '[Food] really, really affects her and can trigger a flare-up where she's so uncomfortable gut-wise and brain-wise that she can't go to school,' said Ferrara, who co-owns Social City, which provides social support services for children. One recent mistake? The gluten-free, dairy-free pancakes her daughter eats every morning. Turns out they contain a corn-derived additive called maltodextrin — something Ferrara only discovered after calling the manufacturer. 'It was one of the ingredients that my eyes just skipped over, because I don't know what that is,' she said. 'Unknowingly, every morning I was giving her these gluten-free, dairy-free pancakes that actually have something that is highly inflammatory and ultra-processed.' 8 Food labels are frequently cited as a source of confusion for consumers. rosinka79 – The MAHA report warns that more than 2,500 food additives can be pumped into UPFs — all to enhance taste and texture and stretch shelf life. Advertisement Some additives have been linked to serious health concerns, including behavioral disorders, metabolic issues and even cancer. Take Red 40, for example. This food dye is found in popular snacks like Skittles and Doritos, as well as drinks like Pepsi. It has been tied to increased hyperactivity and irritability in children, especially if they have ADHD, and can trigger allergic reactions in others. Meanwhile, research shows titanium dioxide, found in everything from candies to sauces, may damage cells and even DNA. Then there are artificial sweeteners like aspartame, sucralose and saccharin, which some studies suggest can disrupt the gut microbiome — a key player in metabolism, weight control and blood sugar regulation. Advertisement 8 Red dye 40 is also known as Allura Red AC. taidundua – Ferrara's younger daughter, 4, doesn't have food sensitivities — but keeping her diet clean is still a challenge. At school, playdates and other places outside the home, junk food is nearly impossible to avoid. 'She doesn't get directly affected immediately after she eats, but I know it's doing harm to her over the long term,' Ferrara said. 'Just because it doesn't outrightly show on every single person doesn't mean it's not doing the same damage internally.' According to the White House report, ultra-processed grains — found in cakes, cookies, breads and snack foods — dominate children's diets. These products are stripped of their bran and germ, removing essential fiber, vitamins and minerals. Advertisement 'The stripping of these components can lead to blood sugar spikes, increasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes,' the report states. The sugar situation is just as grim. Ultra-processed sugars can be found in 75% of packaged foods. The average American consumes 17 teaspoons of added sugar a day — amounting to a whopping 60 pounds a year. 8 Many American children exceed the recommended daily limits for added sugar. HandmadePictures – Advertisement This sugar overload — especially from high-fructose corn syrup and other additives — may be playing a 'significant role' in the nation's rise of childhood obesity, Type 2 diabetes and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, according to the report. But it's not just the ingredients — it's what industrial processing does to them. The MAHA report warns that processing alters fiber content, caloric density and digestibility in ways that can hijack hunger hormones, short-circuit satiety signals and damage the gut microbiome. 'It shouldn't be so hard to protect your family,' Ferrara said. 'They need to be more transparent with what's in the food, but also how it's processed.' Toxic situation Astoria mom Carissa Serralta has always strived to feed her kids a healthy diet — but it wasn't until one of her newborn twin daughters was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder, MCAD deficiency, that she saw just how flooded grocery stores are with ultra-processed junk. The condition prevents her now 2-year-old, Mila, from properly metabolizing fats from seed oils like palm, coconut and avocado. 8 Serralta's daughter's condition has changed the whole family's eating habits. Clarissa Serralta 'Eighty to 90% of the brands you see on the shelf she can't have,' Serralta told The Post. 'It could be anywhere from pasta to tortillas to Cheez-Its.' That became a nightmare when she couldn't produce enough breast milk — and realized nearly all baby formulas on the market are loaded with seed oils. 'They say breast is best, but if you don't have milk for your baby and you have no choice but to give them formula, and the formula has bad ingredients, what do you do?' she mused. 'Your baby has to be fed.' 8 Seed oils are common in packaged and processed foods. alex9500 – Doctors told Serralta to give Mila tiny doses of seed oils to build tolerance for formula — but that led to months of relentless diarrhea. The MAHA report notes that seed oils have flooded the US food supply, overtaking animal-based fats like butter and lard in American diets over the past century. Finding safe foods has become 'a full-time job' for Serralta. Many of the items her daughter can eat aren't available locally, forcing her to shop online or cook everything from scratch. If Mila accidentally eats seed oil, it means an upset stomach, which Serralta said is painful but manageable. She is thankful it's not something more severe like a peanut or gluten allergy. 8 Mila Walpole can't eat many store-bought foods due to her seed oil intolerance. Clarissa Serralta The White House report highlights that childhood food allergies have soared 88% since 1997, while celiac disease in kids has jumped fivefold since the '80s. The diagnosis didn't just change what Mila eats — it transformed the rest of the family's eating habits. Serralta shudders at the thought of her older son previously eating ultra-processed snacks. 'It's almost a scary thought, because I was so unaware of this before I had the twins,' she said. And while she's no fan of the current administration, Serralta said she welcomes any effort to expand access to healthier foods. 'Less-processed foods have to be made available to all kids — it shouldn't just be online where people with lower incomes can't access it,' she said.
New York Post
22-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
RFK Jr. singles out 4 potential causes of childhood chronic disease in newly released report
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. singled out four potential causes of childhood chronic disease in a report released Thursday — the first step in the Trump administration's bid to reverse what it calls a health 'crisis' impacting 40% of America's kids. The report identified poor diet, environmental chemicals, lack of physical activity and chronic stress, and overmedicalization as likely responsible for persistent maladies — including obesity, autism, cancer, mental health issues and allergies — warning: 'The health of American children is in crisis,' Poor diet The report cites 'ultra processed foods' (UPFs) as a potential cause of the chronic disease crisis. Kennedy Jr.'s report listed poor diet, environmental chemicals, lack of physical activity and chronic stress, and overmedicalization as likely being responsible for persistent maladies in children. Getty Images While they may have been created with a good purpose in mind, the commission writes, but now 70% of the diets of American children are made up of high-caloric, low-nutrient foods. The problematic ingredients, per the report, are engineered ultra-processed grains, sugars and fats, which largely didn't exist a century ago. UPFs make up 50% of Americans' diets, the report states, while making up just 10% to 31% of the intake in countries like Portugal, Italy and France. Chemicals in the environment The report also cites chemicals in the environment as potential causes of chronic disease, especially in children who are deemed more susceptible and could be impacted in-utero. Dangerous chemicals include heavy metals, pesticides, indoor air pollutants, consumer products, microplastics, chemicals found in cleaning products and cosmetics, lead, mercury and electromagnetic radiation from technology, like mobile phones and laptops. Decline in exercise Children being more sedentary in the digital age also could lead to chronic disease through lack of exercise and limited time outside, the report found. Children are less likely to play outside, ride their bike to school, play games at recess and exercise in general, choosing to spend time on the internet instead. Supporters of the Make America Healthy Again movement attend a news conference on removing synthetic dyes from America's food supply, in Washington, DC on April 22, 2025. Nathan Posner/Shutterstock The higher access to screens — with nearly 50% of teens reporting that they are constantly online — also contributes to mental health issues as well as loneliness, lack of sleep and chronic stress. Overmedicalization One in five US children are reported to take prescription medications, including for ADHD, antidepressants, antibiotics and more. The report states that there have not been studies looking into the effects of overtreatment, but still notes it as a possible cause.
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Big Food's Big Tobacco moment: Arianna Huffington
We are entering Big Food's Big Tobacco moment. The fight to hold tobacco companies responsible for the deadly health effects and associated health-care costs of their products took decades, culminating in the 1998 $206 billion settlement with 46 states and reforms like a ban on marketing cigarettes to young people. In the '60s, when free sampler packs of cigarettes were given out to high schoolers, 42% of American adults smoked. Today that number is 12%. Is that where Big Food is headed with ultra-processed foods, artificial dyes, and sugary beverages? We're actually further along in that process than many might think. Forces for change are converging across the political, legal, and cultural landscape—and we have the example of the fight against Big Tobacco to draw on. In December, a landmark, first-of-its-kind lawsuit was filed in Philadelphia on behalf of a teenager alleging that consuming ultra-processed foods led to him developing fatty liver disease and Type 2 diabetes. Among the 11 companies named in the lawsuit are General Mills, Kraft Heinz, PepsiCo, Coca-Cola, and Kellogg's. Ultra-processed foods 'are alien to prior human experience,' the 148-page complaint reads. 'They are inventions of modern industrial technology and contain little to no whole food…The explosion and ensuing rise in UPFs in the 1980s was accompanied by an explosion in obesity, diabetes, and other life-changing chronic illnesses.' The lawsuit goes on to make an explicit tie between Big Food and the rise of UPFs and Big Tobacco, arguing that food manufacturers are 'using the same master playbook.' The connection is more than metaphorical. In the 1980s, tobacco companies Philip Morris and R.J. Reynolds bought Kraft, General Foods, and Nabisco. In the early 2000s, the food companies were spun off, 'but not before leaving a lasting legacy on the foods that we eat,' as Anahad O'Connor put it in The Washington Post. That's because, as the complaint notes, 'UPF formulation strategies were guided by the same tobacco company scientists and the same kind of brain research on sensory perceptions, physiological psychology, and chemical senses that were used to increase the addictiveness of cigarettes.' This was confirmed by a 2023 study published in the journal Addiction, which found that the decades when Big Tobacco owned Big Food corresponded to the rise of 'hyper-palatable' foods, which are ultra-processed foods engineered to have a combination of fat, sugar, sodium, and carbohydrates that trigger the brain to encourage excessive eating. In the study, foods from tobacco-controlled brands were 80% more likely to contain powerful combinations of sodium and carbs that made them hyper-palatable and 29% more likely to have similar combinations of sodium and fat. The study notes that by 2018, the differences between food from the tobacco-owned brands and foods from other companies had disappeared—not because any of the foods became less unhealthy, but because other companies saw that ultra-processed foods sold well and simply copied them. 'Every addictive substance is something that we take from nature and we alter it, process it, and refine it in a way that makes it more rewarding—and that is very clearly what happened with these hyper-palatable food substances,' said Ashley Gearhardt, a professor of psychology at the University of Michigan who studies food addiction. 'We treat these foods like they come from nature. Instead, they're foods that come from Big Tobacco.' In fact, Big Tobacco's use of the same master playbook for cigarettes as for food goes back decades earlier. In the '60s, R.J. Reynolds conducted market research on children for the development of sugary drinks. As Reynolds' manager of biochemical research put it in a 1962 internal memo, 'It is easy to characterise R.J. Reynolds merely as a tobacco company. In a broader and much less restricting sense, however, R.J. Reynolds is in the flavour business.' The manager also noted that 'many flavourants for tobacco would be useful in food, beverage and other products,' producing 'large financial returns.' And it turns out, the negative consequences from the 'flavour business' were strikingly similar for ultra-processed foods and tobacco. Research being presented this month at the American College of Cardiology's annual scientific meeting found that consuming an additional 3.5 ounces a day of ultra-processed food was associated with a 14.5% increased risk for hypertension, a 5.9% increased risk for cardiovascular events, and a 19.5% increased risk for digestive diseases, as well as heightened risk for obesity, metabolic syndromes, diabetes, and depression or anxiety. Last year, in the world's largest review of its kind, a comprehensive study found that consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to a higher risk of at least 32 different health problems, including heart disease, cancer, Type 2 diabetes, mental health disorders, and early death. The term ultra-processed foods was coined by Carlos Monteiro of the University of São Paulo. He also developed the NOVA food classification system that categorizes foods based on their level of industrial processing. As Monteiro put it, 'no reason exists to believe that humans can fully adapt to these products.' Or at least adapt to them any better than the dinosaurs did to asteroids. And avoiding ultra-processed foods is actually harder now than avoiding cigarettes was even in the '60s. Nearly three-quarters of America's food supply is now made up of ultra-processed foods. A huge part of the problem are sugary beverages, which are the single largest source of added sugars consumed by Americans. According to the American Heart Association, having one more sugary drink each day can increase a person's risk of hypertension by 8% and risk of heart disease by 17%. And a January study in Nature Medicine found that these drinks contribute to 2.2 million new cases of Type 2 diabetes, 1.2 million cases of cardiovascular disease, and 340,000 deaths globally each year. 'This is a public health crisis, requiring urgent action,' said study author Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and director of the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University. And the playbook by the two industries to stave off reform is the same. As more science comes in, so do the efforts to prevent that science from making its way into policy and regulation. Part of that involves lobbying. According to an analysis by the Financial Times, food and beverage companies spent $106 million on lobbying in 2023, nearly twice as much as tobacco and alcohol companies combined. And that was an increase of over 20% from the year before, largely due to 'lobbying relating to food processing as well as sugar.' Next in the playbook? Discredit the science. 'The strategy I see the food industry using is deny, denounce, and delay,' says Barry Smith, professor at the University of London. Right on cue, here was the response by Sarah Gallo, of the Consumer Brands Association, which represents the food industry, to the study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finding an increased risk of dying early from consuming UPFs: 'Demonizing convenient, affordable and shelf ready food and beverage products could limit access to and cause avoidance of nutrient dense foods, resulting in decreased diet quality, increased risk of food-borne illness and exacerbated health disparities.' And here is Gallo's response to the lawsuit filed in December: 'Attempting to classify foods as unhealthy simply because they are processed, or demonizing food by ignoring its full nutrient content, misleads consumers and exacerbates health disparities.' The final step in the playbook, of course, is to fight back in court. The Financial Times notes that in Mexico, food companies, including Nestlé and Kellogg, have sued the government to stop front-of-package warning labels and other restrictions like forbidding the use of children's characters in marketing. And all of that can work. Until it doesn't. The fight against Big Tobacco went the same way Hemingway described bankruptcy happening: 'Gradually, then suddenly.' What it shows is that, yes, the road is long, and there are many bumps and reversals and dead ends. And then, suddenly, the momentum changes, the zeitgeist changes, and what seemed impossible for decades swiftly becomes the obvious and consensus position. As far back as 1950, two scientists, Ernst Wyndner and Evarts Graham, published a study that found that 96.5% of lung-cancer patients were moderate to heavy smokers. Two years later, the counter-science began, when the tobacco company Liggett promoted a study, by a 'competent medical specialist,' that found that smoking Chesterfields had no adverse effects. In 1954, the first lawsuit against tobacco was brought by Eva Cooper, whose husband had died of lung cancer. Cooper lost that suit, but in the next four decades, over 800 lawsuits were filed by smokers or their families. Until the '90s, only two of those were successful and both were overturned on appeal. In the '90s, a third wave of lawsuits began. The breakthrough was that state attorneys general were seeking to recover health-care costs associated with tobacco. In 1994, the first of those suits was filed by Mississippi seeking $940 million in Medicaid costs the state spent treating smokers. As Mississippi's then-Attorney General Mike Moore put it, 'The lawsuit is premised on a simple notion: you caused the health crisis; you pay for it. The free ride is over.' And après Moore, the deluge. By the end of that year, three more states filed suits. By 1997, 39 states were suing. At the same time, there were major class-action suits being filed, including one, known as the Castano suit, by a group of 60 law firms across the country on behalf of 'all nicotine-dependent persons in the United States.' Another was brought on behalf of 60,000 flight attendants. A tipping point had been reached, and in 1998, the $206 billion 'Master Settlement Agreement'—the largest civil settlement in U.S. history—was agreed upon. 1998 wasn't that long ago, but the pre-Master Agreement world of tobacco acceptance now seems incomprehensible. And now we're down a similar road. In 2009, Kelly Brownell, a Yale nutrition expert, wrote a paper entitled 'The Perils of Ignoring History: Big Tobacco Played Dirty and Millions Died. How Similar is Big Food?' In explaining why he wrote the paper, Brownell said, 'We simply didn't want the food industry to be able to get away with some of those same tactics.' The food industry, he said, is at a crossroads: 'They can behave as tobacco did, which is lie about the science, distort the truth, and buy up the scientists. Or they can come face-to-face with the reality that some of their products are helping people and some are hurting, and we need to shift the balance.' That would mean food companies would stop marketing to children and overstating health claims. But most of all, said Brownell, 'they should reformulate their products and market the healthier versions as aggressively as possible.' At the time, there weren't a lot of voices in that chorus. But in the years since, more have joined. In 2012, lawyers pitched state attorneys general in 16 states with the idea of suing companies to make them pay for the soaring costs of obesity and diet-related health-care costs. Politico called it a 'radical' idea and 'a move straight from the playbook of the Big Tobacco takedown of the 1990s.' Paul McDonald, a lawyer who led the effort, said the aim wasn't to cast the food industry as villains, but 'to lighten the economic burden of obesity on states and taxpayers and to negotiate broader public health policy objectives.' On the legal front, according to the law firm Perkins Coie, 256 class action lawsuits were filed against the food and beverage industry last year, a 58% increase from 2023. While many of those are about truth in label and health claims, an increasing number are about ultra-processed foods. The food industry may win these lawsuits today. But for how long? The culture is changing, the science is becoming more and more clear, too many people are suffering, and too many lives are being lost. In the last few years, there is evidence that Big Food has seen the writing on the menu, trying to get ahead of the reckoning by buying up smaller companies focused on healthier food to diversify their product lines. In 2023, Mars, Inc. bought Kevin's Natural Foods, which makes healthy prepared meals and sauces. In January of this year, PepsiCo acquired Siete Foods, known for better-for-you Mexican-American inspired foods. In March, PepsiCo bought the prebiotic soda brand Poppi. This was on the heels of Coca-Cola launching its own prebiotic soda Simply Pop. In April, Hershey bought the better-for-you snack brand LesserEvil. In the meantime, the lawsuits continue. As the saying goes, first they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win. That's what happened with tobacco: 'When we filed the tobacco lawsuits, our peers—good lawyers and great lawyers—laughed at us,' said Wayne Reaud, one of the lawyers representing Texas in its lawsuit against the tobacco companies in the '90s. 'They told us there was no way we were ever going to win.' But they did win. Which is to say, all of us won. Now we need another win. And the good news? We already know how. The opinions expressed in commentary pieces are solely the views of their authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs of Fortune. This story was originally featured on
