New research shows ultra-processed food is linked to harm in every major organ system

Ultra processed foods are rapidly taking the place of fresh food in the diets of children and adults on every continent.

Now, according to the world’s largest review from a series of three papers just published in The Lancet medical journal, ultra-processed food is linked to harm in every major organ system of the human body.

“There are 12 different outcomes that we looked at which range from the obvious ones like obesity and metabolic disease like Type 2 diabetes, through to cardio metabolic and cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, cancers, gastrointestinal disease, depression, and early death, “explains co-author Chris van Tulleken to CBS Radio.

Van Tulleken says it is by design, and he blames food makers.

“Imagine you’re running a food company. To make more money, you’ve got two options. Drop the price of ingredients, so replace your dairy fat with palm fats, your eggs with emulsifiers, your strawberries with flavorings” explains van Tulleken. “And, then you have to engineer your food so that it doesn’t satisfy your customers, to eat as much of it as they can as often as they can. That’s the project of transnational food corporations. It’s not an unreasonable project, but they’re ineffectively regulated.”

The findings were published just hours before a survey of college students show they think poor nutrition is more of a problem than drug or alcohol abuse.

The poll conducted for the health organization Touch Grass Together finds 82% of college students say unhealthy diets are a problem on campus, while 71% cite alcohol or drug abuse.

Many students say their campus dining halls, cafes and vending machines lack healthy food options, and serve too many ultra-processed foods, which they say leaves them feeling sluggish.