Processed food has taken a lot of place in the everyday diet in the past few decades. It is estimated that between 25 and 60% of daily food intake accommodates processed food. Although not all processed food is genuinely bad for health, today’s subject matter of Better Weigh Medical will be the negative impact of processed food on overall health.
What is processed food?
This term can be quite confusing when you know that almost every food is processed in some way. Mechanically processed food such as pasteurizing food (milk products), heating vegetables, and grinding meat are not considered unhealthy although they go through some kind of procession. What we consider “processed food” is food that undertakes chemical processing. This difference is what makes one healthier than the other. Chemically processed food contains very little nutrient value while carrying artificial substances such as colors, additives, flavoring agents, emulsifiers, and sweeteners. Because of all of the refined ingredients and few dietary benefits, this food is also called “cosmetic” and ultra-processed food because compared to whole food it lacks actual value. Ultra-processed food is:
- frozen and ready meals
- canned food
- baked food such as pizza, pastries, cakes
- processed cheese products (products that are usually only 50% of chees and the other 50% are something else) such as sandwich spreads and topical slices
- crackers, chips
- packaged bread
- breakfast cereals
- reconstituted meat in the form of sausages, nuggets, processed ham, and fish fingers
- instant soups and noodles
- candies, ice creams
- sweetened drinks and sodas
Refined food has an unpleasant taste due to taste lost in the heating process. For this reason, processed food is added different additives to enhance the taste. However, chemical additives if consumed in excess have a significant harmful effect on human health. Besides additives that are used to enhance taste, color, texture, and shelf-life, there are other ingredients also potentially harmful. Processed food is usually saturated with calories, sugar, trans fat, salt, and refined carbohydrates.
The ways processed food can affect health
Obesity
Most processed food has a high amount of sugar. This ingredient is sometimes undercovered behind various names, but every of its name variations actually means the same – refined sugar. There are more than 50 different names of sugar you can find on food labels and some of them are corn syrup, glucose, fructose, sucrose, etc.
Metabolic Syndrome
Processed food in excessive intake is found to be a risk factor for diabetes type 2 and heart disease. Metabolic syndrome considers the presence of three or more risks:
- extend waistline with obesity
- raised triglycerides
- low healthy cholesterol (LHC) values
- high blood pressure
- high fasting blood glucose
Consummation of refined sugar in excess amounts leads to metabolic disorders which in prolonged periods can consequence in heart disease and diabetes.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)
This syndrome refers to prolong tissue inflammation in the digestive tract. Processed food has a significant impact on increasing the risk of Chon’s disease and ulcerative colitis. Almost every processed food such as packed bread, yogurts, salad dressings, and cheese products, contains some sort of emulsifier to extend shelf life and consistency in texture. These emulsifiers are chemical substances similar to those used in manufacturing soaps and detergents. They function to provide a mixture of water and oil coherent. Emulsifiers in processed food keep ingredients stay mixed which would separate otherwise. The negative effect of emulsifiers on the body is that they can change the microbiome in the gut and trigger digestion syndromes. The removal function of emulsifiers, the same as in detergents, affects bacteria and gut microbiota. Consequently, inflammations emerge, and the incidence of IBD.
Autoimmune Diseases
Autoimmune diseases are conditions when the immune system attacks the body. The immune system functions as a defense from viruses, bacteria, or other microorganisms that it recognizes as intruders. In cases of autoimmune disease, the immune system has an abnormal response and attacks its cells in functioning and healthy body parts. Put simply, the immune system, in these cases, confuses healthy and unhealthy cells as a foreign element and acts in defense.
Autoimmune diseases are commonly triggered by infections and environmental agents. The intestinal tract is lined with epithelial cells that are joined together by tight junctions and serve as protectors from endotoxins and bacteria. Processed food contains additives that damage tight junctions in the gut which protects the body against toxins, bacteria, and other harmful antigens leading to the rising of intestinal permeability. Increased intestinal permeability also known as “Leaky gut syndrome” increases the absorption of toxins, pathogens, and inflammatory mediators.
Colorectal Cancer
Processed red meat products such as pork, beef, bacon, hot dogs, sausages, and others are exposed to cancerogenic ingredients and compounds. These cancerogenic properties are due to the substances used for preservation and their chemical production process. Some researcher stands that approximately 50 grams of processed red meat daily increases the risk of colorectal cancer by up to 18%.
Depression and Anxiety
Processed food can affect increased anxiety and depression by its sugar content which causes gut havoc. As this is the place where serotonin production happens, processed food high in refined sugar affects the body’s capability to sustain healthy serotonin secretion. Thus, higher blood sugar causes a state of hyperactivity followed by lethargy which creates addiction and urges to repeat the same process over and over again.
Summary
The negative impact of processed food on the body and overall health is a big issue that concerns medicine and researchers are yet to show how much it can actually harm our health. One is for sure, you should avoid processed food as much as you can and opt for whole food, seeds, grains, nuts and home-cooked meals.
