Big data on ultraprocessed foods

[WendyBG]

Ultraprocessed foods have a macroeconomic impact because of the high cost of medical care for chronic diseases associated with them, including heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, cancer, dementia and irritable bowel syndrome. Not to mention the giant companies that manufacture these ultraprocessed foods.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/09/05/well/eat/ultraprocessed-foods-types-unhealthy-study.html

Are Some Ultraprocessed Foods Worse Than Others?

A new study may offer the biggest clues yet.
By Alice Callahan, The New York Times, Sept. 5, 2024

…
The new study, published in a Lancet journal, included more than 200,000 adults in the United States. They filled out detailed diet questionnaires beginning in the 1980s and early 1990s, and completed them again every two to four years for about 30 years. [Now, that’s what I call big data. – W]

After adjusting for risk factors like smoking, family health history, sleep and exercise, the researchers found that those who consumed the most ultraprocessed foods were 11 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and 16 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease during the study period, compared with those who consumed the least ultraprocessed foods. … [That’s a nothingburger. It’s hardly worth acting on such a small effect even if it’s statistically significant. – W]…

The researchers also combined their findings with those from 19 other studies, for a separate analysis of about 1.25 million adults. They found that those who consumed the most ultraprocessed foods were 17 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, 23 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease and 9 percent more likely to have a stroke compared with the lowest consumers…

Of the 10 ultraprocessed food categories they looked at, two were clearly associated with greater risk: sugar-sweetened drinks (like soda and fruit punch) and processed meat, poultry and fish (like bacon, hot dogs, breaded fish products, chicken sausages and salami sandwiches).

When these two categories were excluded from the data, most of the risk associated with ultraprocessed food consumption disappeared…

Some types of ultraprocessed foods, on the other hand, were associated with reduced risks for cardiovascular disease. These included breakfast cereals; sweetened and flavored yogurts, frozen yogurts and ice cream; and savory snacks like packaged popcorn and crackers…[end quote]

Which is not to say that these are totally benign since many breakfast cereals are no better than eating directly out of a sugar bowl and ice cream can pack on the pounds pretty fast in more than minimal portions.

I’m actually surprised that the correlation between eating processed foods and cardiovascular disease is so small. The researchers did adjust for risk factors like smoking, family health history, sleep and exercise but the article doesn’t say whether BMI was a factor.

Wendy

[captainccs]

@WendyBG

Of the 10 ultraprocessed food categories they looked at, two were clearly associated with greater risk: sugar-sweetened drinks (like soda and fruit punch) and processed meat, poultry and fish (like bacon, hot dogs, breaded fish products, chicken sausages and salami sandwiches).

I have been living this issue for over 40 years and studying and researching it, both as test subject and citizen scientist, for 10 years or so. My first contact was 60 years ago when I discovered that sugar made me dizzy. Back then I stopped adding sugar to coffee. By the time I was 45 or so I had developed obesity, coronary problems, type 2 diabetes, and ulcerative colitis misdiagnosed in Caracas as amebiasis. In Palo Alto I was told it was not amebiasis. I asked the doctor how he knew, “You have no amebiasis antibodies.”

https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/encyclopedia/content.aspx?contenttypeid=167&contentid=entamoeba_histolytica_antibody

After listening to and reading dozens of doctors and other experts as well as reversing the illnesses and eliminating all the related medications, I summarise the issue thus:

The core issue is insulin resistance caused by glucose spikes and not burning fat by munching all day. There is a lot of pushback against seed oils but I cannot verify that even if the critiques make sense. Extreme diets also don’t make sense, humans are omnivores that developed to eat natural foods, not industrial, highly processed, purposefully addictive products. “Products,” not foods.

My experience has been that healthy (omnivore) eating made me lose 50 pounds or more and all my illnesses reversed with no medications or supplements. I reached a plateau between 155 and 165 pounds and BMI 23. Once I started walking more I no longer felt hungry as often and my weight dropped below 155 pounds and BMI 22.1. The BMI calculator says I can drop to 130 pounds while remaining in the “Normal” range.

There is a lot of scare mongering on the Internet, don’t fall for it. We need a healthy diet but not a perfect diet. All living creatures have defense mechanisms and immune systems that successfully deal with minor attacks. Our immune system cannot deal with industrial, highly processed, purposefully addictive products. Those are the things to avoid. Our ancestors discovered ways to deal with nature’s defenses like soaking legumes and peeling and deseeding tomatoes. Much of the Internet is also advertising in disguise. Pay attention to sponsors and conflicts of interest.

In conclusion, the best medicine is not needing medicine, a state that can be reached by healthy living. One of the biggest obstacles is the rat race. Fast food says it all! Why ‘fast?’ To have more time to join the rat race.

Disclosures: There is one supplement I use, potassium. Great for relieving cramps. You have to eat too many bananas to get enough potassium. My excuse for breaking the no supplement rule is that I buy it at the supermarket where it is sold as low sodium salt. I also buy Himalayan salt, it has more minerals than refined salt.

The Captain

[DrBob2]

@WendyBG

Of the 10 ultraprocessed food categories they looked at, two were clearly associated with greater risk…

Interestingly, a majority showed decreased risk. Go figure.

DB2

[Leap1]

@WendyBG

The researchers also combined their findings with those from 19 other studies, for a separate analysis of about 1.25 million adults. They found that those who consumed the most ultraprocessed foods were 17 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, 23 percent more likely to develop coronary heart disease and 9 percent more likely to have a stroke compared with the lowest consumers…

The problem with this report, how old were the participants?

The first study started in the 1980s. Are most of the participants now in their 50s? If so the end point is very limited to find conclusions. If all of them were 75 the results would be more substantiated. Heart disease and cancers would have been more developed.