| Every day, 7 percent of the U.S.
| |
| | may increase the risk of heart disease."
|
| population visits a McDonald's, and
| |
| | Further, most processed foods are
|
| 20-25 percent eat fast food of some kind,
| |
| | extremely high in salt, another blow to
|
| says Steven Gortmaker, professor of
| |
| | the heart. One-half cup of Campbell's
|
| society, human development, and health
| |
| | Chicken Noodle Soup, for instance, has
|
| at the Harvard School of Public Health.
| |
| | 37 percent of the daily-recommended
|
| As for children, 30 percent between the
| |
| | amount of sodium.
|
| ages of 4 and 19 eat fast food on any
| |
| | "Probably the single fastest way to
|
| given day.
| |
| | reduce strokes in this country is to
|
| But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
| |
| | halve the amount of salt that's added to
|
| Americans get processed food not only
| |
| | processed food," says Tim Lang, professor
|
| from fast-food restaurants but also from
| |
| | of food policy at the City University,
|
| their neighborhood grocery stores. As it
| |
| | London.
|
| stands, about 90 percent of the money
| |
| | Cancer
|
| that Americans spend on food is used to
| |
| | A seven-year study of close to 200,000
|
| buy--that's right--processed foods.
| |
| | people by the University of Hawaii found
|
| Think about it ... if it comes in a box,
| |
| | that people who ate the most processed
|
| can, bag or carton, it's processed. The
| |
| | meats (hot dogs, sausage) had a 67
|
| fact that these foods are so readily
| |
| | percent higher risk of pancreatic cancer
|
| available, and, often, of such poor
| |
| | than those who ate little or no meat
|
| quality, has led some, like associate
| |
| | products.
|
| professor of pediatrics at Harvard David
| |
| | A Canadian study of over 400 men aged 50
|
| Ludwig, to say that they're actually
| |
| | to 80 found similar results. Men whose
|
| discouraging healthy eating and leading
| |
| | eating habits fell into the "processed"
|
| to a "toxic environment."
| |
| | pattern (processed meats, red meat, organ
|
| "There's the incessant advertising and
| |
| | meats, refined grains, vegetable oils
|
| marketing of the poorest quality foods
| |
| | and soft drinks) had a significantly
|
| imaginable. To address this epidemic,
| |
| | higher risk of prostate cancer than men
|
| you'd want to make healthful foods widely
| |
| | in the other groups. Men who ate the
|
| available, inexpensive, and convenient,
| |
| | most processed foods had a 2.5-fold
|
| and unhealthful foods relatively less so.
| |
| | increased prostate cancer risk.
|
| Instead, we've done the opposite," says
| |
| | Yet another study published in the
|
| Ludwig.
| |
| | journal Cancer Epidemiology, Mile
|
| Processed foods have, indeed, been
| |
| | Markers, and Prevention found that
|
| implicated in a host of chronic diseases
| |
| | refined carbohydrates like white flour,
|
| and health conditions that are currently
| |
| | sugar and high fructose corn syrup is
|
| plaguing the nation. What follows is just
| |
| | also linked to cancer. The study of more
|
| a taste of the risks processed foods may
| |
| | than 1,800 women in Mexico found that
|
| present to your health.
| |
| | those who got 57 percent or more of their
|
| Obesity
| |
| | total energy intake from refined
|
| The World Health Organization (WHO) says
| |
| | carbohydrates had a 220 percent higher
|
| processed foods are to blame for the
| |
| | risk of breast cancer than women who ate
|
| sharp rise in obesity (and chronic
| |
| | more balanced diets.
|
| disease) seen around the world.
| |
| | Acrylamide, a carcinogenic substance that
|
| In one study by Ludwig and colleagues,
| |
| | forms when foods are heated at high
|
| children who ate processed fast foods in
| |
| | temperatures, such as during baking or
|
| a restaurant ate 126 more calories than
| |
| | frying, is also a concern. Processed
|
| on days they did not. Over the course of
| |
| | foods like French fries and potato chips
|
| a year, this could translate into 13
| |
| | have shown elevated levels of the
|
| pounds of weight gain just from fast
| |
| | substance, according to the Center for
|
| food.
| |
| | Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
|
| "The food industry would love to explain
| |
| | "I estimate that acrylamide causes
|
| obesity as a problem of personal
| |
| | several thousand cancers per year in
|
| responsibility, since it takes the onus
| |
| | Americans," said Clark University
|
| off them for marketing fast food, soft
| |
| | research professor Dale Hattis.
|
| drinks, and other high-calorie,
| |
| | Food Additives: Unknown Effects
|
| low-quality products," Ludwig says.
| |
| | The Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
|
| However, "When you have calories that are
| |
| | maintains a list of over 3,000 chemicals
|
| incredibly cheap, in a culture where
| |
| | that are added to the processed food
|
| 'bigger is better,' that's a dangerous
| |
| | supply. These compounds do various things
|
| combination," says Walter Willett, M.D.,
| |
| | to food: add color, stabilize,
|
| D.P.H., professor of epidemiology and
| |
| | texturize, preserve, sweeten, thicken,
|
| nutrition at the Harvard School of Public
| |
| | add flavor, soften, emulsify and more.
|
| Health.
| |
| | Some of these additives have never been
|
| Diabetes
| |
| | tested for safety--and require no
|
| "In the last 50 years, the extent of
| |
| | government approval--but instead belong
|
| processing has increased so much that
| |
| | to the FDA's "Generally Recognized as
|
| prepared breakfast cereals--even without
| |
| | Safe" (GRAS) list. An item is "safe," as
|
| added sugar--act exactly like sugar
| |
| | defined by Congress, if there is
|
| itself ...
| |
| | "reasonable certainty that no harm will
|
| As far as our hormones and metabolism are
| |
| | result from use of an additive."
|
| concerned, there's no difference between
| |
| | Some compounds that are known to be toxic
|
| a bowl of unsweetened corn flakes and a
| |
| | to humans or animals are also allowed,
|
| bowl of table sugar. Starch is
| |
| | though at the level of 1/100th of the
|
| 100-percent glucose [table sugar is half
| |
| | amount that is considered harmful.
|
| glucose, half fructose] and our bodies
| |
| | Potential side effects from the additives
|
| can digest it into sugar instantly,"
| |
| | vary, and are controversial. For just
|
| says Ludwig.
| |
| | one common food additive, monosodium
|
| "We are not adapted to handle fast-acting
| |
| | glutamate (MSG), for example, the
|
| carbohydrates. Glucose is the gold
| |
| | following symptoms have been reported:
|
| standard of energy metabolism. The brain
| |
| | Numbness
|
| is exquisitely dependent on having a
| |
| | Burning sensation
|
| continuous supply of glucose: too low a
| |
| | Tingling
|
| glucose level poses an immediate threat
| |
| | Facial pressure or tightness
|
| to survival. [But] too high a level
| |
| | Chest pain
|
| causes damage to tissues, as with
| |
| | Headache
|
| diabetes," he continued.
| |
| | Nausea
|
| Heart Disease
| |
| | Rapid heartbeat
|
| Many processed foods contain trans fatty
| |
| | Drowsiness
|
| acids (TFA), a dangerous type of fat.
| |
| | Weakness
|
| According to the American Heart
| |
| | Difficulty breathing for asthmatics
|
| Association, "TFAs tend to raise LDL
| |
| | As is the case with most food additives,
|
| ("bad") cholesterol and lower HDL
| |
| | some people have no side effects, but
|
| ("good") cholesterol ... These changes
| |
| | others may become ill.
|
