Health Wanted: Ultra-Processed Foods
HEALTH WANTED, a weekly radio show and podcast produced in partnership with WABE, brings need-to-know public health headlines and breaks down the science behind trending topics.
The Episode
The topic: Diets high in ultra-processed foods have been linked to increased risk of developing certain health conditions, but scientists are uncertain about the exact cause. This week on Health Wanted, host Laurel Bristow and guest Kevin Hall, PhD, explore the prominent role of ultra-processed foods in American diets and next steps for uncovering what about them might be contributing to poor health.
The takeaway: Around 70% of the U.S. food supply is made up of ultra-processed foods, which are increasingly linked to chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer. However, the exact link between ultra-processed foods and these health issues has not been definitively proven, and it remains unclear which specific components might contribute to negative health outcomes.
- The term "processed foods" refers to foods that have been altered from their original form through methods like cooking, chopping, or washing. Ultra-processed foods go further in their processing and are often industrially engineered to be more appealing to consumers through adding ingredients like color, flavor, sugar, and preservatives. Examples include frozen pizza, packaged snacks, and many breakfast cereals. However, not all ultra-processed foods are strictly unhealthy - whole grain breads, which provide numerous health benefits, fall within the umbrella of ultra-processed foods.
- Because there is no one specific definition of ultra-processed foods, it is difficult to regulate them or give clear recommendations on their consumption. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration can ban certain ingredients (such as hydrogenated oils, banned in 2015), we must first understand what aspect of ultra-processed foods may contribute to the development of chronic diseases in order to create effective policies and guidelines.
- There are several factors that may contribute to the health risks behind ultra-processed foods. They often contain refined grains, which are easily absorbed by the body but have less fiber. Less fiber makes them less filling, which means people have to eat more to feel full. Additionally, ingredients like emulsifiers, food coloring, and other additives could contribute to negative health outcomes, though their exact role is still unclear.
- Studying the impact of ultra-processed foods on health is difficult because the health effects could come from the foods themselves, or from broader social or environmental factors. People who consume high amounts of ultra-processed foods are also more likely to experience other risk factors, such as limited access to healthy food, fewer opportunities for physical activity, or higher stress levels, which can all negatively impact health.
The Interview
The guest: Kevin Hall, PhD
The key takeaways:
- While many epidemiological studies have linked diets high in ultra-processed foods with increased rates of obesity, diabetes, and other chronic diseases, it’s unclear what part of the diet could be responsible for these health issues. Researchers are still trying to determine whether ultra-processed foods are directly responsible for these outcomes, which is made even more difficult due to the challenges of, and resources needed to conduct long-term studies on food consumption.
- A controlled study on food environment compared ultra-processed and minimally processed diets in a group of 20 people. Those on the ultra-processed diet overconsumed calories and gained weight, while those who ate minimally processed foods lost weight. Even though the two diets were made to have the same amounts of nutrients like fat, sugar, and fiber, the ultra-processed food diet led to higher calorie intake. However, this study only provides insight into ultra-processed food’s effect on weight gain, not health outcomes.
- It could be possible to create healthier versions of ultra-processed foods by altering their energy densities and reducing hyper-palatable combinations (such as a food item with high fat and high sugar levels). Follow-up research to the food environment study aims to show whether redesigning these foods could mitigate their tendency to cause people to overeat and gain weight.
- The possible impact of ultra-processed foods on health is widely recognized, but researchers still need to develop specific guidelines for consumers. This includes studying broader health implications of policies and recommendations designed to improve the food supply. As most people in the U.S. consume 50-70% of their calories from ultra-processed foods, this issue is crucial to improving public health.
The Listener Questions
I’m pregnant and my doctor says I need to drink glucola and take a glucose tolerance test. Why can’t I drink fruit juice instead?
Glucose tolerance are often used between weeks 24 and 28 of pregnancy to test for gestational diabetes, which can occur during pregnancy if your body isn’t able to produce enough insulin to help manage blood sugar.
It’s not clear why some people get gestational diabetes and others don’t, but having diabetes during pregnancy can cause some serious complications like preeclampsia, high birth weight, preterm birth, or stillbirth if it’s not diagnosed and managed properly. Thus, it’s important to get screened for diabetes in pregnancy.
Glucose tolerance tests involve having your blood drawn, drinking a drink with between 50 and 100 grams of sugar, and waiting an hour or two to have another blood draw to see how your body responds to the sugars.
The drink they use is called glucola, and it can cause some people to feel a bit yucky, because it’s a lot of sugar to drink! Glucola contains a type of sugar called dextrose, while fruit juice contains a sugar called fructose.The reason you have to use glucola is because that is what the test for gestational diabetes was designed for and validated on. You can’t use fruit juice for the test because your body won’t respond to it the same way, and you won’t get an accurate reading.
The consequence of having an inaccurate gestational diabetes screen is that you could have serious health complications for you and the baby.
So, glucola isn’t delicious, but drinking it once or twice for the sake of a glucose tolerance test is a lot better than having undiagnosed gestational diabetes.
Am I giving myself sinus infections by using saline nasal spray when I’m congested?
It depends on whether you are using store-bought saline sprays or making them yourself. Store-bought saline sprays should not be making your symptoms worse.
Decongestant sprays like Afrin and Zycam can cause what’s known as rhinitis medicamentosa, also known as “rebound congestion,” which is when your nasal passages get irritated and inflamed. This usually happens when you use decongestants for longer than the recommended amount of time.
Saline sprays are generally safe to use, as they just rehydrate your nasal passages.
If you are using a homemade saline spray, make sure you are making it with sterile water. If you find that your nose is getting irritated using a store-bought spray, make sure it is preservative-free because that might be what is causing a reaction.
Catch all the listener questions and Laurel’s answers on the full episode of Health Wanted by:
- Streaming at wabe.org or the WABE app
- Subscribing on Apple or Spotify
- Watching on WABE's YouTube channel
