Groundbreaking UPF Research Dropped Last Month. The Media? Silent.

Every mainstream diet looks different on the surface.

Mediterranean. Keto. Paleo. Whole30. Plant-based.

Different rules. Different foods. Different philosophies.

But here's what nobody's telling you: they all share one critical instruction.

Cut the ultra-processed foods.

Last month, the most comprehensive research paper on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) ever published hit The Lancet. Over 100 prospective studies. Nearly a million participants. Data from 93 countries.

The findings? Groundbreaking.

The media coverage? Crickets.

So let me tell you what they found—and why it matters especially right now, as we head into the busiest season of the year.

💡 This Week's Insight + 🔬 Research Spotlight

The Whole Truth About Ultra-Processed Foods

The research is clear, comprehensive, and frankly, alarming.

Ultra-processed foods aren't just "less healthy" versions of real food. They're fundamentally different products designed to maximise corporate profits, not your health.

Here's what the NOVA classification actually means:

Group 1: Whole foods (meat, vegetables, fruits, eggs) Group 2: Processed ingredients (oils, salt, sugar) Group 3: Processed foods (canned vegetables, cheese, bread) Group 4: Ultra-processed foods (the stuff with ingredient lists that read like chemistry experiments)

The global takeover is real.

In the USA, 60% of total calories come from UPFs. The UK? Over 50%.

But here's the kicker: UPF consumption is skyrocketing in countries where it was once rare. From 2007 to 2022, UPF sales increased 60% in Uganda, 40% in lower-middle-income countries, and 20% in upper-middle-income countries.

The ultra-processed diet is spreading globally. Fast.

Your body on UPFs: what actually happens.

When researchers fed people ad libitum diets (eat as much as you want) matched for calories and macronutrients—one group eating UPFs, the other eating whole foods—the results were stark.

The UPF group consumed 500+ more calories per day. They ate faster. They gained weight and fat mass. The whole food group? Lost weight and fat mass.

Same calorie availability. Completely different outcomes.

Why? Because UPFs are engineered to bypass your satiety signals. High energy density. Hyper-palatable. Soft texture. Disrupted food matrices. It's food designed to make you overeat.

The disease connection isn't subtle.

This research analysed 104 prospective studies. The findings linked high UPF consumption to increased risk of:

• Obesity and abdominal obesity

• Type 2 diabetes

• Hypertension and dyslipidaemia

• Cardiovascular disease and mortality

• Coronary heart disease

• Stroke

• Chronic kidney disease

• Crohn's disease

• Depression

• All-cause mortality

The risk increases were similar in magnitude, but in reverse, to the protective effects of the Mediterranean diet.

Let that sink in. Eating a diet high in UPFs is as harmful as eating a Mediterranean diet is protective.

The mechanisms are multiple.

This isn't just about sugar or salt or fat. Those matter, but the harm goes deeper:

Nutrient imbalances across the board. Reduced intake of protective phytochemicals found in whole foods. Increased exposure to toxic compounds created during processing. Endocrine disruptors leaching from packaging. Potentially harmful additives and additive combinations.

People in the highest UPF consumption group had 15 times more food colourings, 5 times more non-sugar sweeteners, 3 times more flavour enhancers, and 2 times more emulsifiers than the lowest group.

Your gut, your hormones, your inflammation markers—they all respond to this chemical cocktail.

The brutal truth about convenience.

December is coming. You're busy. Time is scarce. Convenience becomes king.

And that's exactly when UPF consumption typically spikes.

Packaged snacks. Ready meals. Grab-and-go breakfast bars. That "healthy" protein shake. The meal replacement powder. The cereal marketed as nutritious.

They're all Group 4.

The research is unequivocal: the displacement of traditional diets by ultra-processed foods is a key driver of the global chronic disease burden.

Not a contributing factor. A key driver.

⚡ Quick Win

Run Your Own NOVA Audit

This week, track what you eat and classify it:

• Group 1: Whole foods

• Group 2: Processed ingredients used in cooking

• Group 3: Processed foods (bread, cheese, canned goods)

• Group 4: Ultra-processed foods (anything with ingredients you wouldn't use at home)

Calculate what percentage of your diet falls into Group 4.

Be honest. That protein bar? Group 4. The "healthy" breakfast cereal? Group 4. The plant-based meat substitute? Group 4.

If you're above 20%, you've got work to do. The goal? Get under 10%.

Start by replacing one UPF per day with a whole food alternative. Tomorrow's packaged breakfast becomes eggs and vegetables. The afternoon protein bar becomes nuts and an apple.

Simple swaps. Real results.

🔗 Worth Your Time

Read: "Ultra-Processed People" by Chris van Tulleken

If this newsletter sparked your interest, read this book.

Van Tulleken, a doctor, spent a month eating 80% ultra-processed foods and documented what happened to his body, his brain, and his health. The results were shocking.

But the real value? He explains the science behind UPFs, the industry tactics that got us here, and what we can do about it.

It's engaging, evidence-based, and might fundamentally change how you see your food environment.

Available wherever books are sold.

Here's what matters:

The research is done. The evidence is overwhelming. Ultra-processed foods are driving chronic disease at a population level.

And right now, heading into Christmas, your environment is about to get more challenging. More temptation. Less time. More convenience.

Which means you need a plan.

Run your NOVA audit. Identify your weak points. Make your swaps.

Your future health is built on today's choices.

Make them count.