Aliquot #111: Why ultra-processed foods and their additives are harmful

Processed foods fall on a spectrum from minimally processed, like oatmeal and canned tomatoes, to ultra-processed, like lunch meats and junk food. Minimal processing typically makes the nutrients in foods more bioavailable, even better for you, but ultra-processing typically removes many nutrients while adding a plethora of chemicals meant to color, flavor, and preserve food. The number of chemicals used in processed foods and the packaging they come in is mind-boggling, with more than 10,000 introduced in just the last 25 years or so. These chemicals are typically designated as generally recognized as safe or GRAS. GRAS chemicals don't have to be approved by the FDA, providing a convenient loophole for food manufacturers.

There's a growing body of evidence linking ultra-processed foods to health issues like obesity, cardiovascular disease, ADHD, and diabetes. These foods are heavily modified and typically high in refined sugars, unhealthy fats and salt, and little nutritional value. In this aliquot, I explain the science behind the risks associated with eating processed foods and offer advice on choosing healthier options. Let's start with an overview of processed foods. We're going to talk a lot actually about processed foods. So this was a deep dive. I really wanted to look into this.

Well, for one reason, it's been, you know, there's been a couple of new studies that have been really well done and it's been clear That there's additives in processed foods aside from the sugar that seem to be detrimental to human health. And so James submitted a question and James says, what substances in processed foods are the most detrimental to our health? Food colorings, preservatives, sweeteners, binders, anything that keeps stuff from separating. I am unclear on what are the bigger concerns and what qualifies food as processed. So there's more than 10,000 chemicals that are allowed in food sold in the US. 10,000. That's a lot.

It's kind of eye-opening to keep that in the back of your mind when you go, oh, we allow 10,000 chemicals to be added to our food sold here in the United States. Like, how are you going to keep track of 10,000 chemicals? That's a lot. Some are direct additives and others are indirect additives. Heavy metals, which contaminate food during processing and storage and packaging, right? So there are things like if you're buying a bar of dark chocolate, for example, maybe has high levels of cadmium, arsenic, right? It's not that those were added to the chocolate. It's just there in the processing of the cocoa plants. You know, the cocoa plants take up these heavy metals from the soil, depending on— particularly depending on where they're grown. And processing always concentrates things, right?

And so a lot of times you'll get indirect additives as well. Almost 99% of food chemicals that were introduced since the year 2000 were greenlighted for use by the food and chemical companies rather than properly reviewed by the FDA. So these substances end up in what we eat. thanks to the legal loophole that allows them to be in there. So essentially what I'm saying is 99% of the food chemicals since the year 2000 that are in our food that we can buy in the grocery store get in there not because FDA directly reviewed them and found them to be safe, but because they're greenlighted for use by food and chemical companies and they're generally recognized as safe. It's kind of a big difference there. The FDA, when they're directly reviewing whether or not a chemical is safe.

They're looking at that food chemical and whether or not it's okay to consume. So it's a little bit different, and it's also a little bit eye-opening when you go, oh, so that's like everything— anything that's after the year 2000, more or less, was not even directly reviewed by the FDA. It was just allowed because of a legal loophole into our food. So there's things like nitrates, which are found in plants, but there's nitrites. Nitrites are preservatives used in cured meats. Nitrites Can form nitrosamines, which are carcinogen. They're linked to a variety of cancers, colon cancer, stomach cancer, esophageal cancer, and possibly even thyroid and brain cancers. Potassium bromate, this is another carcinogen that's actually added to flour and it's used in packaged baked goods.

Then there's propyl polyparaben, which is a preservative that's also used in pastries. It's also found in some tortillas. It's been shown to cause developmental and reproductive harm. Then there's butylated hydroxyanisole, or BHA. So this is another preservative that you can find in some cured meats and other few foods. It's also been identified as a carcinogen. A lot of processed meats have been linked to cancer, and it's also skewed a lot of the data when you hear about meat consumption and cancer. A large portion of that is coming from processed meats, which are different than eating a whole lean source of meat, right? So that's also something to keep in mind. There's stuff found in like kids' food, like Pop-Tarts. It's called TBHQ. It harms the immune system.

Then there's titanium dioxide. So that's a color additive that's used mostly in candy and it damages DNA. So it's a mutagen, basically. There's brominated vegetable oil, so that's called BVO, and that's used to stabilize citrus flavors in like sodas and fruity drinks. That's involved there. It's been shown to cause neurological harm. Then there's the per- and polyfluoroalkyls, so that's the PFAS. These are the toxic quote-unquote forever chemicals. Sometimes people call them like PFAS, like the PFAS. They're used in a lot of like the packaging of food. So it's not in the food itself, but it's in the packaging. So let's say you're buying prepackaged food because you don't have time and it looks like whatever you're buying is healthy-ish, right?

The packaging itself has these PFAS in them and they leach into foods. Particularly, I mean, if you're getting foods that are like soups or something that's been heated, it goes like 100-fold higher in terms of leaching a lot of these chemicals into the actual food itself. And the PFAS, they're associated with increased risk of cancer, also associated with damaging the immune system, but really a lot of sort of emerging evidence about damaging reproductive systems. So there's been a lot of, I would say, associative studies that have linked forever chemicals to decreasing sperm counts, you know, and things like that. So it really— it seems to be affecting reproductive systems as well. There's also artificial colors.

Now, these are like, you know, Red No. 3, Red No. 40, Yellow No. 5, Yellow No. 6, Blue No. 1. These are in a lot of different processed foods, particularly candies and pastries and things that are targeted towards cereals, like children, things that children are eating. They have been shown not only in observational studies, but like randomized controlled trials to cause behavioral difficulties in children, particularly ADHD. And in children that already have ADHD, they just— it like goes off the chart. Like they just get really— like it exacerbates it. So a lot of those artificial colors, they're linked to, again, behavioral difficulties. And there's artificial sweeteners. So sucralose being one. These have been associated with affecting hormones, having a negative effect on metabolism.

And I think the International Agency for Research on Cancer recently classified aspartame as possibly carcinogenic to humans. Like, this was a very, very recent thing, like within the last month or so that made some headlines. And again, those aspartame, like that stuff, those are found in a lot of diet beverages and stuff like that. Then of course, there's the heavy metals. A lot of those do leach in. Those are indirect contaminants. You know, sometimes they can end up in baby foods and slow growth and development as well. So that's like one class. There's one class of the processed foods, right? The chemicals. Now there's also the ultra-processed foods. And there was a study that was published in 2021.

I think it was Kevin Hall's study that found— defines ultra-processed foods as industrially manufactured, ready-to-eat, or ready-to-heat formulations of food. So they're like not whole foods, but, you know, they're snacky foods, also known as junk food, I guess. And these are even things like flavored yogurts, breakfast cereals, you know, enriched— that are thought to be enriched with beneficial nutrients. These are all the ultra-processed foods. There's really just a lot of studies on those that they're harmful, they're playing a role in causing metabolic dysfunction, and weight gain as well, and links to cardiovascular disease risk.

You know, everything that we talk about with like too much refined sugar or saturated fat, well, like these ultra-processed foods are doing similar things as well. And so then you add, in addition, these ultra-processed foods also have, you know, they have a high caloric density. So there's refined sugar and there's lots of saturated fat. It's just everything together just makes them so much more dangerous. Trans fats, those are now really banned, but like they were in foods for a very, very long time and they really adversely affect lipoprotein profiles and the risk of coronary heart disease. And then there's a lot of effects on endocrine pathways and these are, you know, things like inorganic phosphate salts. So those are absorbed to a greater extent.

than organic phosphorus, which naturally occurs in foods. And there's been observational data that have looked at serum phosphate and excess dietary phosphorus, basically, associated with cardiovascular disease, also disruption of hormonal regulation. So it's disrupting hormonal properties as well, and again, affecting things like oxidative stress, arterial calcification, Disrupting endocrine function. So another big one that most people are aware of is the BPA that also affects endocrine function. So this is in a lot of packaging materials now. You'll see a lot of materials that say BPA-free, but they have BPS as a substitute. Now BPS is being linked to endocrine dysfunction. So it's like trade one for the other, right? I mean, like, take your pick.

I think you're better off avoiding the plastic water bottles and going for something like this, you know, that's not plastic. So I raised up my Yeti container here, by the way. So, you know, it's like just because something says BPA-free doesn't mean it's off the hook. I think it just means you're trading one chemical for another. You know, BPA has been— it's structurally similar to 17-beta estradiol, and, you know, there's been a lot of different preclinical research showing it can promote insulin resistance, inflammation, pancreatic beta cell dysfunction. It binds to estrogen receptors. And then there's, of course, observational data as well. So there's some other compounds that are linking what are called UPFs. And UPFs have been linked to cancer. They've got also obesogenic properties.

So they're in a lot of— they're like food additives. So they're in— again, it's one of those things to keep the shelf life, keep the shelf life, right? But they're linked to cancer, and the carcinogen compounds that are formed are formed by heat treatments. So it makes things like acrolein, acrylamide. By the way, acrolein, sulforaphane intake. Increases acrolein excretion through urine after like 24 hours, like by— it increases it by like 40%. So acrolein is also something that is— it can be formed just from like cooking food really hot at high temperatures and stuff as well. But it is in this food additive, the UPF. So there's just all this stuff that's in processed foods that Yeah. People eat that they're just not aware of.

And I think at the end of the day, you know, these continual exposures to these things day in and day out, particularly for people that are eating large volumes of processed foods— I mean, once in a while it's fine, right? You're traveling, whatever. But I think day in and day out, it's really harmful in many ways on multiple systems— endocrine system, brain function. you know, our DNA and being a carcinogen on metabolism, obesity, heart disease. It seems to be affecting all the systems. And it goes back to that whole paleo diet concept. I know there's so many fads that have come around, right? There's keto, paleo. Paleo was a big one to start, and then keto and carnivore.

And I think at the end of the day, you know, sticking to a whole foods diet, I don't like— I think if you're just sticking to a whole foods diet, you're going to be healthy. It doesn't have to be choosing one of the fad diets, but just eating fruits, vegetables, like yes, fruits, vegetables, meats, poultry, fish, nuts. These are healthy foods to eat. Let's talk about nitrates and nitrites now. Nitrates and nitrites are naturally occurring nitrogen-containing compounds. Nitrates are found in many vegetables like beets, arugula, and celery. Nitrites are added to processed meats like ham, sausage, and bacon as preservatives. When we eat nitrates, bacteria in the mouth convert them to nitrites.

These converted nitrites and those consumed in the diet travel to the gut where they undergo further conversion to either nitric oxide, which is a good thing, or nitrosamine, which is a bad thing. Nitric oxide plays a role in cardiovascular health, immune function, and mood. Nitrosamines, on the other hand, are known carcinogens. The conversion path nitrite takes in the gut depends on various factors, including the types of bacteria present, the pH level, and other dietary components, specifically acidic conditions Dietary oxidants and polyphenols found in fruits and vegetables favor nitric oxide production. So in other words, vitamin C and polyphenols that are present in fruits and vegetables will convert the nitrite into nitric oxide.

On the other hand, alkaline conditions and the presence of dietary amines, which are found in meat, promote nitrosamine formation. So the nitrites added in meat along with the amines then promote the formation of nitrosamines, which as I mentioned, are carcinogens. Any nitrites that escape the gut without undergoing conversion can later be converted into nitric oxide in other tissues, even in the skin. In this segment, I discuss whether celery powder, a rich source of nitrates, and nitrites is safe. Rebecca asks about processed meats. General guidelines say to eat processed meats in moderation. Is that solely due to the preservatives in them like sodium nitrate? What do you think about the nitrites naturally occurring in celery powder? Many companies are using them. So nitrites, nitrates.

Celery powder has nitrates with an A. In bacon and ham and lunch meats and all that, you'll find nitrites with an I. are different. They're naturally occurring in a lot of plants. And when you eat them with the plant, the plant also has vitamin C with it, and it prevents the nitrate from being converted into the carcinogen, which is nitrosamine. Nitrites, on the other hand, do not have that. So nitrites can be converted into nitrosamine, which are carcinogens. It's really not known whether or not it's the nitrites in the processed meats or the heterocyclic amines. Which are also carcinogens. It's just not known what the cause is with processed meats and them being so unhealthy. But I do think trying to consume them in moderation, even if it's nitrite-free, is a good idea.

What we eat has a direct influence on our body's inflammatory processes. That's important because inflammation is the primary driver of chronic diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, and obesity. High on the list of things on our diet that we can cut out to reduce inflammation is refined sugar. Listen as I explain from Q&A number 39. All right, so the top voted question was, in your opinion, what are the top 5 ways, diets, supplements that you can do to reduce inflammation? And I think that you can address this question by Thinking about things that you can cut out of your diet or your lifestyle or things that you can add. And so I'm gonna address both of those in most cases, probably counter to what a lot of people talk about.

People always talk about cutting out, cutting out, cutting out. And I think there's a big problem with not getting the right things. And I think there's an association there with when you actually start to get the right things, you naturally cut things out, right? So because there's not room to do everything, right? But one of the top cutting out things would be the most intuitive and obvious, and you probably all know the answer, and that is cutting out refined sugar. But I'll just to highlight that point: people that are healthy, so not overweight, not no sedentary. These are just about 29 healthy, normal, healthy young men were given 20 ounces of a sugar sweetened beverage to drink. So like a like a Coke, right? For three weeks, and the men experienced.

60 to 100% increase in a biomarker of inflammation called C-reactive protein. Many of you have heard of it, CRP. C-reactive protein is probably one of the most standard biomarkers of inflammation that's used. 60% to 100% increase after 3 weeks. That is enormous. You know, higher than normal C-reactive protein levels are associated with long-term disease risk, cardiovascular disease risk, cancer disease risk, Alzheimer's disease risk. It's also known to like play a role in depression. So we're talking about affecting mood, behavior. So there's really every reason to not take in added— you know, you got to live once in a while, right? But like, it's one of the main things that I try to have family members do, you know, is cut out the refined sugar.

It also— in that study, the healthy young men had a pretty big jump in their small dense LDL. Particle number, which, as we've talked about many times in this Q&A, the small dense LDL particles are really the most atherogenic. So they're the ones that are playing the biggest role in causing atherosclerosis and increasing cardiovascular disease risk in general. So they didn't have to eat any saturated fat to do it either. All they had to do was drink a bunch of soda, right? I mean, so it's something that really makes you think about how terrible Drinking sugar-sweetened beverages are, and it's pretty ubiquitous in the United States, at least. Some things just taste better when they're a little sweeter, though, right? So what are your options when looking for sweeteners?

Should you choose products with real sugar or go with artificial sweeteners like aspartame or sucralose? Sugar substitutes are food products or additives that provide a sweet taste of sugar without the calories. They fall into 3 broad categories: Artificial sweeteners like sucralose, natural low-calorie sweeteners sometimes referred to as non-nutritive sweeteners like stevia or monk fruit, and functional sugars, most of which are sugar alcohols like erythritol or xylitol. In this segment, I talk about sweeteners and which ones I try to avoid. I also talk about my go-to favorite, honey, which has some surprising health benefits. Anika asks about sugar substitutes. Versus sugar, I'll give you my take on it and the way I personally use and think about it.

There's non-nutritive sugar substitutes, which are not artificial sweeteners. So these are things like stevia, monk fruit, allulose. And then so like stevia and monk fruit, I mean these are derived from natural; they're from plants. Whereas much like sugar is, whereas something like aspartame or you know you get the sucralose, those things I really stay away from. I just don't think they're good, and especially at consistent. Consistent doses every single day. So I like, and I still use, pure monk fruit without erythritol. So I make sure it doesn't have erythritol. The brand that I used to use, Lakanto, I don't use that anymore because everything that they have has erythritol in it. I use stevia without erythritol or sugar in it. But when it comes down to it, I also just use honey.

Like, I use honey instead of sugar for a lot of things as well. I've been convinced that, and I've seen science where honey is improving blood glucose regulation, and these are like randomized And there are controlled trials and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials out there showing that. So the fact that it's improving glucose regulation is counterintuitive. You'd think that because it's high glycemic that it would do the opposite, but in fact it doesn't. And I think just honey is just— it's got other compounds in it we don't quite understand. And if I only had a choice between table sugar and aspartame or sucralose, then I would actually use table sugar. So... I really just avoid the artificial sweeteners. I just think they're terrible. For more information about sugar substitutes, check out Alloquatt #66 where I discuss them in detail. I hope you enjoyed this food-focused Alloquatt. Thanks so much for listening, and I'll talk to you soon.