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Episode Overview
In this eye-opening conversation, Dr Euridice Martinez-Steele, who has spent 12 years researching ultra processed foods at NUPENS (University of Sao Paulo), explains how these industrial food formulations are driving chronic disease worldwide. Drawing on evidence from almost 10 million participants and the gold-standard randomised controlled trials, Dr Martinez-Steele reveals how ultra processed foods increase our eating rate, disrupt our gut microbiome, and expose us to additives with unknown long-term effects. This interview challenges the assumption that approved food additives are necessarily safe and provides practical guidance for navigating the modern food environment.
Key 'Ultra Processed Foods' Insights:
- They're Formulations, Not Food: Ultra processed foods are industrial formulations of food-derived substances (oils, fats, sugars, starches) containing little or no whole food. They combine molecules in proportions never found in nature, with synthetic additives our bodies may not know how to metabolise.
- Linked to 32 Health Conditions: A 2024 umbrella review evaluating almost 10 million participants found evidence that ultra processed food consumption is associated with mortality, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers, depression, dementia, and gastrointestinal disease.
- RCTs Prove Overconsumption: Two randomised controlled trials demonstrated that participants eating ultra processed diets consumed significantly more calories per minute and gained more weight over just two weeks—providing causal evidence beyond observational studies.
- Soft Texture Drives Fast Eating: The deconstructed food matrix of ultra processed foods makes them soft, meaning they're eaten faster with more calories consumed per mouthful. You don't feel full until long after you've finished, driving overconsumption.
- Additives Have Unknown Effects: Over 10,000 additives are approved in the US alone, yet their long-term effects, cumulative daily intake effects, and interactions between multiple additives remain largely unknown. Most safety testing uses short-term studies in mice.
- Your Gut Microbiome Suffers: The lack of fibre in ultra processed foods starves beneficial gut bacteria, forcing them to consume the protective mucus lining instead. This erodes the gut barrier, potentially allowing harmful bacteria to leak into the bloodstream.
- Children Face Greatest Risk: Children consume more additives relative to their body size, begin exposure at an early age, and face a lifetime of cumulative effects. Pregnant women's consumption may also affect fetal development.
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Expert 'Ultra Processed Foods' Takeaways
- Avoid buying ultra processed foods in the first place—if they're not in your home, you won't consume them in moments of convenience
- Skip the ultra processed food aisles in supermarkets entirely and shop at local markets where fresh fruits and vegetables are more prominent
- Read ingredient lists on packaged foods—a long list of unfamiliar ingredients indicates ultra processed food, and fewer additives is always better
- Fill your plate with whole foods first, as these are satiating and naturally reduce your consumption of ultra processed alternatives
- Eat slowly to give your body time to register satiety signals, countering the fast eating rate that ultra processed foods encourage
- Avoid eating alone, as solitary eating tends to involve more ready-to-eat ultra processed foods consumed mindlessly
- Learn to cook and involve the whole family—regaining cooking skills is one of the most effective ways to reduce ultra processed food dependence
- Teach children to read ingredient lists as a form of food education, helping them navigate the ultra processed food environment for life
About Our Guest
Dr Euridice Martinez-Steele is a researcher at NUPENS (Centre for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health) at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil, where she has studied ultra processed foods for over 12 years. She works closely with the team that developed the NOVA food classification system and her research has helped inform dietary guidelines in Brazil and other countries now recommending reduced ultra processed food consumption.
Watch the 'Ultra Processed Foods' Interview
'Ultra Processed Foods' Resources
Key Research Discussed:
- The 2024 Umbrella Review — Comprehensive analysis of almost 10 million participants linking ultra processed food consumption to 32 health outcomes
- The NOVA Classification System — Developed by Professor Carlos Monteiro at the University of Sao Paulo, categorising foods by extent and purpose of industrial processing
- Randomised Controlled Trial on UPFs — The seminal paper by Kevin Hall et al, on UPF and calorie consumption
Relevant Organisations:
- NUPENS (Centre for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health) — University of Sao Paulo research centre leading global UPF research
- Brazilian Dietary Guidelines — First national guidelines to recommend avoiding ultra processed foods
Policy Initiatives Mentioned:
- Chile's Marketing Regulations — Comprehensive ban on marketing foods with nutrient warning labels to children under 14
- Colombia's UPF Tax (2023) — First law in Latin America taxing ultra processed foods with warning labels
- Brazil's School Lunch Policy — Requires 75% of school lunch funds be spent on unprocessed foods
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