Curious Cook: Silent killers
In one of the most blindingly obvious research papers ever written, an American study proclaimed that Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) are “silent killers”. The paper stated that novel ingredients never before encountered by human physiology until only a few decades ago are hazardous to human health, and noted that around 60% of US adult diets, and almost 70% of US children’s daily diets contain such novel ingredients.

In terms of calories, an average of 80% of the daily calories are derived from eating UPFs in parts of northern America. Novel ingredients often found in UPFs include seed-based oils, artificial sweeteners, processed starches, and food texture/preservative compounds such as maltodextrin, carrageenan, mono- and di-glycerides, carboxymethylcellulose, polysorbate, propionates, lecithin, nitrites, sulphites, etc.

Despite the scientifically documented links between the over-consumption of UPFs and poor health outcomes such as metabolic syndrome (including diabetes), cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, cancers, etc, the global consumption of UPFs is still rising inexorably all the time. And despite you and your family knowing about the potential dangers of UPFs, it is almost certain that most of you will also be consuming more such foods in the future.

Why more UPFs?

There are lots of reasons why UPFs and the novel ingredients in them will become more prevalent in the near future. One curious reason is food insecurity. Even though it does not look like it for most people reading this, the probability is uncomfortably high that much of the world will enter into a period of significant food insecurity, and it may happen sometime within our lifetimes.

In 2022, around 1.3 billion people were uncertain about the availability of food, an increase of 10% over the previous year. The incidence of food insecurity today is over 50% in Sub-Saharan Africa, 29% in the Caribbean nations, and 27% in Asia, with around 70% of affected people living in conflict zones.

The increase in food insecurity would increase the production of industrial cheap foods to meet the demand of many millions of people dependent on low-cost foods for survival. Additionally, there would be requirements for such foods to be palatable and edible after long periods of transport and storage, often in less-than-optimal temperatures and conditions. And very cheap, mass-produced UPFs laden with additives and preservatives meet such requirements perfectly.

In many households, UPFs like breakfast cereals are indispensable. — LUCAS/Pexels

Large-scale food production facilities do not tend to differentiate hugely between low-cost “economy” foods for the mass market and more “premium” quality food items. If anything, the premium food items may tend to include additional novel ingredients such as flavouring enhancers and “restructured” or reformed meats and vegetables to justify the higher prices.

If you think about it, there is little justification for the price difference between a RM3 bag of crisps and a RM9 bag of crisps, and whatever the differences are, the ingredients alone would not justify the additional costs. Therefore, much of the added costs of many premium products are due to the marketing, use of slightly different food additives or processing steps, and attractive packaging (which often also tends to add even more pressure on landfill sites).

In short, if food comes from large-scale food factories, it will most likely be UPFs. This includes most convenience foods such as cereals, breads, spreads, fridge/freezer-ready meals, etc. But in many households, they are indispensable components of the daily diet. And that is because the pace of modern life often precludes the time and effort needed to cook at home from fresh ingredients.

Eating UPFs is a human right?

In 2012, the mayor of New York City tried to ban the sales of “supersized” meals, a common tactic used by junk food sellers to sell more UPFs to their customers. For just US$1 (RM4.74) more, a customer can double or triple the portion size of the fries and sugary beverages provided with their meals. This practice was so widespread that NYC was suffering an epidemic of obesity and heart diseases at the time, and hence Mayor Bloomberg’s proposal was in fact akin to an emergency health measure.

However, the fast food outlets fought back with a campaign that suggested that such a ban is an infringement of people’s rights, “draconian government overreach”, the “thin end of more governmental involvement in people’s lives”, etc. The opponents even brought in a doctor who said, possibly with a straight face, “While reducing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages is important, I don’t think making it unavailable in certain settings is a way to accomplish that”.

Support was so strong for the opponents that in the end, the mayor of NYC had to back down, and cancel his health initiative.

This episode highlights the insidious nature of UPFs. They are cheap. They are tasty. More than that, they are so addictive that people feel the need to ensure that they have the right to eat as many UPFs as they want, and as often as they want, preferably for as little cost as possible.

You can also be certain that the food industry will vigorously defend their right to sell as much UPFs as they can, and also protect your right to buy and eat as much UPFs as possible.

The food industry has spent billions over the years making sure that UPFs are often amongst the top choices of foods people want to eat, regardless of the impacts on human health. When I was working in KL, I used to treat my team to lunch, and invariably they would want to have fried chicken or some other fast foods. To compensate, I would also take them for well-cooked proper dinners, but somehow I always had the feeling they preferred the fast food lunches.

Craving or addiction?

We all get mild urges for some specific food treat once in a while, but for a sizable proportion of the population, the cravings for UPFs are classifiable as an addiction, and it is as strong as addictions to tobacco, alcohol, and recreational drugs. An analysis of 281 studies from 36 countries was matched to the Yale Food Addiction Scale, and the results indicate that 14% of adults and 12% of children globally can be categorized as addicted to UPFs.

Studies have shown that 14% of adults and 12% of children globally are addicted to ultra-processed foods. — AJIN K S/Pexels

The reasons for UPF addiction are varied but ultimately involve the ways human bodies process sugars, processed carbohydrates, fats, salts, and food additives. Modern UPFs are designed to stimulate the brain’s reward pathway, which can make the sensation of eating UPFs extraordinarily enjoyable, and hence people would want to buy and consume more such UPFs.

Talking about altering brain function, a study involving over 11,000 Brazilian adults demonstrated a 28% decline in cognitive function associated with the overconsumption of UPFs. So not only do UPFs make people feel irrationally good, but they also limit the brain’s ability to be cognizant of the damage done by UPFs.

Additionally, the unnatural concentration and density of the various ingredients in UPF also tend to have a profoundly negative impact on the Human Gut Microbiome (HGM), potentially provoking more cravings for nutrients missing in the UPFs. Whatever UPFs are, they can never be classed as nutrient-dense or rich in natural soluble and insoluble fibre. And there is a lot of evidence of actual harm done to the HGMs of people overeating UPFs.

Even in people with obesity, who like overeating and/or not exercising, an addiction to UPFs can also provoke severe maladaptive eating behaviors and cause more serious illnesses and comorbidities compared to those with obesity alone.

To summarise, there are no good outcomes of an addiction to UPFs, nor even overconsumption of UPFs. It is hard to define a threshold for what would be termed “an overconsumption of UPFs” but a plausible limit would be a maximum of 30% of daily calories from such foods. This is less than half the levels eaten daily by people in certain developed countries, so the current overconsumption of UPFs is already potentially a significant health issue for the future.

Keeping away from the reach of UPFs

It is certain that the availability and customer reach of UPFs will increase in the foreseeable future, and may likely encompass our whole planet one day. Before reading this, many of you would probably have had a dose of UPFs, perhaps a slice of bread or biscuit. This is not necessarily bad in itself, as UPFs become a problem only with overconsumption, and this is something to be mindful of.

It is also easy to avoid many UPFs. Just stop buying processed snacks and sugary treats, and never keep them at home. If you like snacking, it may be an idea to get a desiccator, which can be used to make fruit chips from apples, bananas, kiwis, and other fruits. Make the effort to shallow fry potato crisps/fries at home and appreciate/enjoy them better because of the effort expended.

The columnist recommends that people make their own fruit or vegetable chips at home instead of indulging in ultra-processed foods. — RDNE STOCK PROJECT/Pexels

As an aside, many supermarket breads contain propionates (also labelled as E280, E281, E282, or E283) which are commonly used to prevent mold growth. Propionates are linked to insulin resistance (and diabetes), child behavioral disorders, damage to the gut lining, and metabolic syndrome, though it is generally considered safe to use in commercial baked goods. However, commercial breads have an odd habit of upsetting our stomachs at home.

So I now use a low-cost bread-making machine to bake homemade breads using various types of organic flour. And waking up to the smell of fresh bread in the mornings is wonderful, especially after devising my recipes for making passable French brioche loaves.

The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.
Curious Cook,Chris Chan,Ultra processed foods,cognitive function,UPF
The columnist examines the various ways overconsumption of ultra-processed foods is proving detrimental to humans.