Paddy, can you be specific about what you mean when you say highly processed meats - is this all sliced supermarkets meats that you might put in a sandwich? Is sliced ham the same as sliced turkey breast? Is sodium nitrite the real problem here or is there something in the meat itself that is problematic? Many thanks, great post.
For me, I feel like I vastly overeat when eating ultra-processed foods. Based on just that, I feel more lethargic and groggy when having lower-quality foods n
Dr. Barret, an interesting perspective; however, allow me to somewhat disagree. Ultra-processed food is not necessarily here to stay. It should be progressively abandoned since it is not real food and has poor nutritional density. Following a calorically restrictive diet with ultra-processed food is the worst of both worlds because weight loss occurs at the expense of water loss and muscle wasting. The goal isn’t merely to lose weight at any cost, but rather to avoid malnutrition—a dual condition frequently found in individuals who are overweight or obese. We need to return to real food.
Thanks for the article, very interesting read. Does the high seed oil / palm oil content in many ultra processed foods not pose significant health risks?
An interesting read, thank you. One quibble I have is that the difference between association and causation for the quoted studies isn’t addressed. Firemen are at the scene of a fire but they aren’t (hopefully) the cause.
“If you take people with obesity and feed them only ultra-processed food for a year, what do you think happens?”
I don’t understand this point and I don’t see how you came to the conclusion that they would lose weight.
It is certainly not about the calories.Those on equi-calorie but low carbohydrate and especially no HFCS containing diets lose weight.
Further your article fails to even mention HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and its effect on uric acid and the subsequent ‘fat switch’ mechanism,uric acid’s role in mitochandrial dysfunction and the subsequent oxidative stress that results.
In those sufficiently insulin resistant even breads when broken down to glucose can be problematic by triggering the polyol pathway (glucose-sorbitol-fructose and then uric acid).
I think a deeper dive into processed foods would be helpful,can I recommend ‘Ultra processed people’ by Chris van Tulleken,or ‘Drop Acid’ by David Perlmutter or ‘Metabolical’ by Robert Lustig.
Even if you just ate fructose corn syrup, but restricted to 800 calories, you will lose weight. Yes you may have fatty liver and other issues but pure weight loss is caloric driven
Indeed not all calories the same in terms caloric density but energy wise for losing weight, body treats same.
Thanks for that but ‘the body treats same (sic) ‘ it doesn’t.We aren’t bomb calorimeters.Different foodstuffs elicit different responses in the body eg look at the effect of fructose on ATP/ADP/AMP levels vs the effects of glucose.Both gram for gram are 4 calories.Further fructose is metabolised to uric acid which has a role in leptin resistance,glucose does not do this (unless metobolised,rarely,to fructose).
Paddy, can you be specific about what you mean when you say highly processed meats - is this all sliced supermarkets meats that you might put in a sandwich? Is sliced ham the same as sliced turkey breast? Is sodium nitrite the real problem here or is there something in the meat itself that is problematic? Many thanks, great post.
For me, I feel like I vastly overeat when eating ultra-processed foods. Based on just that, I feel more lethargic and groggy when having lower-quality foods n
Dr. Barret, an interesting perspective; however, allow me to somewhat disagree. Ultra-processed food is not necessarily here to stay. It should be progressively abandoned since it is not real food and has poor nutritional density. Following a calorically restrictive diet with ultra-processed food is the worst of both worlds because weight loss occurs at the expense of water loss and muscle wasting. The goal isn’t merely to lose weight at any cost, but rather to avoid malnutrition—a dual condition frequently found in individuals who are overweight or obese. We need to return to real food.
Jairo
Thanks for the article, very interesting read. Does the high seed oil / palm oil content in many ultra processed foods not pose significant health risks?
An interesting read, thank you. One quibble I have is that the difference between association and causation for the quoted studies isn’t addressed. Firemen are at the scene of a fire but they aren’t (hopefully) the cause.
Excellent review of UPF. Can feel less bad eating some healthier ones!
One 3rd thing potentially harmful is some ingredients like emulsifiers may alter gut flora in negative ways but we lack studies proving so.
“If you take people with obesity and feed them only ultra-processed food for a year, what do you think happens?”
I don’t understand this point and I don’t see how you came to the conclusion that they would lose weight.
It is certainly not about the calories.Those on equi-calorie but low carbohydrate and especially no HFCS containing diets lose weight.
Further your article fails to even mention HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) and its effect on uric acid and the subsequent ‘fat switch’ mechanism,uric acid’s role in mitochandrial dysfunction and the subsequent oxidative stress that results.
In those sufficiently insulin resistant even breads when broken down to glucose can be problematic by triggering the polyol pathway (glucose-sorbitol-fructose and then uric acid).
I think a deeper dive into processed foods would be helpful,can I recommend ‘Ultra processed people’ by Chris van Tulleken,or ‘Drop Acid’ by David Perlmutter or ‘Metabolical’ by Robert Lustig.
HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is covered under sweet UPF especially sugar filled beverages
Even if you just ate fructose corn syrup, but restricted to 800 calories, you will lose weight. Yes you may have fatty liver and other issues but pure weight loss is caloric driven
Indeed not all calories the same in terms caloric density but energy wise for losing weight, body treats same.
Thanks for that but ‘the body treats same (sic) ‘ it doesn’t.We aren’t bomb calorimeters.Different foodstuffs elicit different responses in the body eg look at the effect of fructose on ATP/ADP/AMP levels vs the effects of glucose.Both gram for gram are 4 calories.Further fructose is metabolised to uric acid which has a role in leptin resistance,glucose does not do this (unless metobolised,rarely,to fructose).