Perils of
Ultraprocessed Foods
New research links them to more than 30 serious health conditions. :: BY VERA TWEED
T
he u.s. has the lowest life expectancy of all 12 of the world’s large, rich nations, and ultraprocessed
foods are likely a big reason why, according to a recent study from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. The research shows that many
ingredients in these foods — which are used only in industrial food manufacturing — have not been adequately tested for safety.
For cardiovascular disease, death
rates increased by 50% among those who consumed the most ultraprocessed foods. In countries with lower rates of
these diseases, ultraprocessed foods make up only 20% of the average diet, compared to nearly 60% of the average American diet.
WHAT ARE THEY? Ultraprocessed foods contain ingredients that don’t exist in nature or in home kitchens. Examples include prepackaged chips and snacks, sugary cereals, lunch meats, and ready-made meals and desserts. They’re either created from scratch
“We are now all part of a great big
experiment,” says lead study author Dawn Sherling, M.D., author of Eat Everything. “The experiment is seeing what ultraprocessed foods do to us, and so far, the results are not good,” she tells Newsmax. Earlier research, which analyzed
diets and health of nearly 10 million people in the U.K., found that ultraprocessed foods increased risks for more than 30 health conditions, including obesity, cancer, major heart and lung conditions, Type 2 diabetes, mental health disorders, and early death.
in a lab or extracted from a plant or animal food and manipulated beyond recognition, laden with preservatives, artificial coloring, emulsifiers, and added or altered sugar, salt, and fats to enhance palatability. When a food label includes unfamiliar ingredients, Sherling suggests closing your eyes and asking yourself: “Can I picture what that looks like in nature?” If not, it’s ultraprocessed. Safety studies typically test only
one ingredient at a time, mostly in animals, for no more than a few weeks. In real life, we consume many of these ingredients in combination, for years. In the past, it was believed that
ultraprocessed ingredients could not be digested by the human body, but just passed through and were eliminated. However, explains Sherling, “Now we know that’s not true.” In fact, bacteria in the human gut
do digest these ingredients. As a result, the populations of some bacteria increase while others decrease, creating an unnatural imbalance in
Top 24 Harmful Additives
There are thousands of ultraprocessed ingredients, but based on the latest scientific evidence, Eat Everything author Dawn Sherling, M.D., has identified these as the most important ones to avoid:
Acacia gum Agar-Agar Carob bean gum Carrageenan Cellulose Cellulose gum (carboxymethylcellulose) High-fructose corn syrup Gellan gum Glycerol Guar gum Inulin (chicory root extract) Locust bean gum (carob bean gum) Maltodextrin Mannitol
Modified (fill-in-the-blank) starch Mono- and diglycerides Polysorbate 60 and 80 Sorbitol Soy and sunflower lecithin Stevia Sucralose Titanium dioxide Xanthan gum Xylitol
our microbiome that can promote today’s common diseases.
PRACTICAL SOLUTION Quantity matters. “If ultraprocessed food was just an occasional treat here and there, it’s unlikely it would cause massive changes,” says Sherling. “But when it’s the majority — that’s
going to impact our microbiome a lot.” Reducing ultraprocessed foods
means eating more whole foods and finding better options for packaged foods. For example, some breads contain
only flour, water, salt, and yeast or a starter, while others have a long list of ultraprocessed ingredients. For snacks, flavored chips often
contain many ultraprocessed ingredients, while plain tortilla chips contain only corn, oil, and salt, and can be enjoyed with guacamole or salsa — real foods.
DECEMBER 2025 | NEWSMAX MAXLIFE 99
LAB/MEGAFLOPP©ISTOCK / TEST TUBE ICON/MAYURAMEW©ISTOCK
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