How ultra-processed food is ageing our cells

Telegraph 13 September 2020

A growing body of research suggests that cooking our own food could be the secret to a long and healthy life

Whenever Dr Yasmin Razak sees a healthy patient in their 90s at her London GP surgery, she has a question for them. “I ask what they do to look after themselves. They say every time: ‘I make my own food and I don’t eat out’. They either have an allotment or grow food in their garden.”

For anyone searching for the secret to long life, the answer looks straightforward, then. Dr Razak's nonagenarians, who also cite regular walks, do not rely on the convenience foods, takeaways and ready meals that form a staple of so many British diets today.

Chick-fil-A Earns Double the Revenue of McDonalds Despite Closing on Sundays

August 02, 2019   CBN

Restaurant chain Chick-fil-A has once again recorded market-leading sales figures, despite sticking by its long-standing Sunday closure policy.

The chain, which is known for its caring staff strong Christian ethos, has become the fifth-largest fast-food company in the US, according to new data analyzed by investment banking company, Goldman Sachs.

Incredibly, despite shuttering its doors on the Lord’s day, the specialty chicken outlet has managed to generate over double the sales revenue of its well-known competitor, McDonald's. 

“Our brand survey shows that Chick-fil-A has had the most brand momentum across [fast-food restaurants] — supporting the most increase in total revenue (in dollar terms) in the US,” the Goldman analysts wrote in their report, according to Business Insider.

The firm also noted a word of advice in light of the restaurant’s meteoric rise — “steer clear from those in the fray of Chick-fil-A,” the analysts wrote. “Our 2,000 consumer brand survey suggests they will continue to take share and grow.”

Last year, Chick-fil-A generated a staggering $10 billion in sales, up from just $2 billion in 2005. Their location numbers are growing, too. Despite KFC shutting down 1% of all its outlets, Chick-fil-A has opened an additional 8%! Clearly, this restaurant chain is being blessed.

The restaurant’s popularity was clear to see in Mebane, N.C., Thursday as devoted customers camped out overnight to get a chance to win free chicken for an entire year.

And the loyal fans certainly received their reward — an electronic card which entitled them to some 52 Chick-fil-A meals over the next twelve months!

“Being involved in our community and mentoring our young team members is what is most important to us, so we are thrilled to develop new and existing relationships with the Mebane area,” branch manager Todd Perkins said in a news release, according to Fox 8. “My team and I are incredibly honored to expand our opportunity to serve and bring a new Chick-fil-A to our guests who can enjoy our delicious food and genuine hospitality.”

Immigrants’ gut bacteria “westernize” soon after they move to the U.S

The Atlantic Nov 1, 2018

In Thailand, a small group of Hmong women lived in a rural village, far from the nearest town. They grew everything they ate, mostly rice and vegetables. They boiled most of their food, and they rarely consumed meat.

But then something happened to these Hmong women that shocked their systems, permanently altering, in just a short time, the course of their health—as well as the very germs that dwelled inside of them. They immigrated to the United States.

In their new homeland—Minneapolis—they began to eat more protein, sugar, and fat. They indulged, like most Americans do, in processed food. Within a generation, the Hmong women went from having an obesity rate of 5 percent to one of more than 30 percent.

That statistic reflects one of the most vexing things about the well-being of immigrants in the U.S.: Many people who come to the U.S. for a better life end up with worse health. Many different studies have now shown that the longer certain groups live in the U.S., the worse some of their health outcomes get, especially when it comes to obesity. One study found that after one year in America, just 8 percent of immigrants are obese, but among those who have lived in the U.S. for 15 years, the obesity rate is 19 percent.

More than a third of adults in the US will eat fast food

NY Times Oct. 22, 2018

More than a third of adults in the United States patronize fast-food restaurants and pizza parlors on any given day. And the higher their income, the more likely they are to do so.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released data on fast food consumption gathered from 2013 to 2016 in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, or Nhanes, a program that continuously monitors the health and nutritional status of Americans.

The Nhanes analysis relies on physical examinations and in-person interviews to produce demographic, socioeconomic and health data, including dietary information from a representative sample of about 10,000 adults over the four years.

Fast food — defined broadly in the survey as any item obtained from a “fast food/pizza” establishment — is eaten by 37 percent of American adults at some point during the day.

Among those who eat fast food, 44 percent do so at lunch and 42 percent at dinner. Men are more likely to grab fast food at lunch; women are more likely to snack on it.

The most enthusiastic consumers are 20 to 39 years old: 45 percent of them eat fast food on any given day. That figure declines sharply with age, to 38 percent among people 40 to 59, and to 24 percent among those over age 60.

Vegan GMO Burger That “Bleeds” Hits Hundreds of Fast Food Locations Including 'Organic' Ones

Greenmedinfo  September 20th 2018

From White Castle to 'Organic' Burger Joints like Bareburger, a bloody GMO burger is quickly gaining mass adoption. But is it as safe, healthy, and good for the planet as they claim? 

It’s no surprise that after $400 million dollars of funding, including contributions by notoriously pro-GMO power brokers like Bill Gates,¹ that Silicon valley startup Impossible Foods genetically modified ‘ground beef analogue product’ has gained mainstream market penetrance in over 400 White Castle burger joints throughout the U.S this month.² This is in addition to its already successful placement in Applebee’s, Bareburger, and Whalburgers, and other independent restaurants throughout the country.

Junk food is a multibillion-dollar industry

Mercola  April 04, 2018

Junk food is a multibillion-dollar industry. In his book, “Fast Food Nation,” Eric Schlosser, investigative journalist and best-selling author, describes how nearly 90 percent of America's budget is spent on junk food.¹ What is more appalling is that nearly 60 percent of food eaten in America are ultra-processed,² convenience foods that can be purchased at your local gas station. These processed foods also account for nearly 90 percent of the consumption of added sugar in the U.S.

The industry doesn't depend upon fate to drive sales. They use several tricks to paint their products in a better light. Since people eventually start questioning the decision to eat foods based solely on taste, especially with the increasing attention on healthy eating, the industry funds research to justify your cravings for their products.

Thus, when a study revealed that children who ate candy bars were 22 percent less likely to be overweight,³ it came as no surprise the research was funded by a trade association representing some of the country's top candy makers. Marion Nestle, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at New York University, acknowledges that "The only thing that moves sales is health claims."⁴

Nestle formerly served as nutrition policy adviser in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and editor of the Surgeon General's Report on Nutrition and Health.⁵

Reliance on these ultra-processed foods is undoubtedly one of the primary factors driving skyrocketing rates of obesity and disease. Consumers may "know better," but it is difficult to steer clear of foods that may be more addictive than cocaine for some.⁶ A recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reveals only 10 percent of Americans are getting enough fruit and vegetables in their daily diet.⁷

The hacking of the American Mind

The more healthy foods children consume, the higher their IQs.

Psyblog January 14, 2018

A diet low in sugars, fats and processed foods consumed at a young age may increase your intelligence, research finds.

Children under 3-years-old fed diets that are packed full of nutrients and vitamins have higher IQs.

The more healthily they eat, the higher their IQ.

The study followed the wellbeing and health of 14,000 children born between 1991 and 1992 in the UK.

What they ate was tracked up to the age of 8, when they were given an intelligence test.

The results showed that children who ate a health-conscious diet including more salad, rice, pasta, fish and fruit had higher IQs at age 8.

Those consuming more junk food high in fats and sugars had lower IQs.

The study’s authors conclude that:

“…a poor diet associated with high fat, sugar and processed food content in early childhood may be associated with small reductions in IQ in later childhood, while a healthy diet, associated with high intakes of nutrient rich foods described at about the time of IQ assessment may be associated with small increases in IQ.”

For years it has been a supposed mystery, but it is finally being acknowledged that a primary cause of cancer in the world today is diet

Walking Times   October 30, 2017

For years it has been a supposed mystery, but it is finally being acknowledged that a primary cause of cancer in the world today is diet. Studies are now showing that obesity plays an enormous role in one’s chances of getting cancer, and the main cause of obesity is the type of foods people eat. It is in large part a lifestyle disease, and the most important relevant lifestyle choice is food.

“Overall, we estimated that 40.8% of incident cancer cases were attributable to exposure to the 24 factors included in the analysis (Table 2). Tobacco smoking was responsible for the greatest cancer burden, accounting for an estimated 15.7% of all incident cancer cases (2485 cases), followed by physical inactivity and excess body weight, which were responsible for an estimated 7.2% and 4.3% of incident cancer cases, respectively. All other exposures of interest were estimated to be responsible for less than 4.0% of incident cancer cases each.” [Source]

More specifically, researchers are pointing out the connection between the body’s insulin response to food and cancer metabolism. In short, there is a paradigm shift taking place and we are admitting that food can either feed or starve cancer cells. Here, in a piece for The Los Angeles Times, writer Sam Apple explains this connection:

“… researchers have made progress in understanding the diet-cancer connection. The advances have emerged in the somewhat esoteric field of cancer metabolism, which investigates how cancer cells turn the nutrients we consume into fuel and building blocks for new cancer cells.

Largely ignored in the last decades of the 20th century, cancer metabolism has undergone a revival as researchers have come to appreciate that some of the most well-known cancer-causing genes, long feared for their role in allowing cancer cells to proliferate without restraint, have another, arguably even more fundamental role: allowing cancer cells to “eat” without restraint. This research may yield a blockbuster cancer treatment, but in the meantime it can provide us with something just as crucial — knowledge about how to prevent the disease in the first place.” [Source]

Does this mean that these new revelations about cancer and the foods which cause it will trigger a widespread shift in the consumption habits of ordinary people? Will people switch to real food and abandon fake food?

Could it also mean that major food companies will face some degree of liability for producing addictive foods which are extremely high in sugars, artificial sweeteners, refined carbohydrates and other ingredients which trigger the body’s insulin response?

Stress could be just as harmful to the human body as a nutritionally poor diet.

Rdmag  10/17/2017

A diet full of junk food isn’t the only thing that can have a negative impact on the digestive system.

Researchers from Brigham Young University (BYU) found that stress could be just as harmful to the human body as a nutritionally poor diet.

The scientists discovered that when female mice were exposed to stress, their gut microbiota—the microorganisms vital to digestive and metabolic health—morphed to look like the mice had been eating a high-fat diet.

“Stress can be harmful in a lot of ways but this research is novel in that it ties stress to female-specific changes in the gut microbiota,” BYU professor of microbiology and molecular biology Laura Bridgewater said in a statement. “We sometimes think of stress as a purely psychological phenomenon but it causes distinct physical changes.”

The team performed an experiment on a large group of eight-week old mice and exposed half of the males and half of the females to a high-fat diet. After 16 weeks, all of the mice were exposed to mild stress over the course of 18 days.

Microbial DNA from the mice’s fecal pellets were extracted before and after the stress to test how the gut microbiota was impacted. They also measured mouse anxiety based on how much and where the mice traveled in an open field arena.

After analyzing the results, the researchers learned males on a high-fat diet exhibited more anxiety than females on the high-fat diet. Males on the high-fat diet also showed decreased activity in response to stress.

However, stress only caused the gut microbiota composition to shift in female mice as if they were on a high-fat diet.

“In society, women tend to have higher rates of depression and anxiety, which are linked to stress,” Bridgewater said. “This study suggests that a possible source of the gender discrepancy may be the different ways gut microbiota responds to stress in males vs. females.”

The study was published in Scientific Reports.  

Chemicals that have been associated with cancer and other health problems have been found in some fast-food packaging, according to a new study.

Maura Judkis February 1, 2017

Chemicals that have been associated with cancer and other health problems have been found in some fast-food packaging, according to a new study. Researchers found the substances, which can leach into food, in sandwich and dessert wrappers and paperboard containers.

“We have more than one reason to try to eat more fresh food, and to reduce our consumption of fast food,” said Laurel Schaider, one of the study’s authors, and a research scientist for the Silent Spring Institute. “This is another reason.”

The chemicals, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), are used in nonstick, stain-resistant and waterproof products. Fast-food packaging manufacturers might use them to keep sauces or grease from leaking through the wrapper. (Consumers are also exposed to them in other products, such as certain types of cookware, coats and carpets.) Some of the substances in this category are associated with kidney and testicular cancer, low birth weight, thyroid disease and immunotoxicity in children, among other outcomes.     Read more