#nutrition

Ultra-Processed Foods are Harmful Beyond Their Lack of NutritionRecent studies show that people who eat more ultra-processed foods are at an increased risk of dying from all causes. Greater consumption is linked to obesity, cardiovascular disease, dementia, and colon cancer. Ultra-processed foods are products made more palatable by changing their makeup with industrial ingredients like emulsifiers, preservatives, artificial flavors, and artificial sweeteners. This processing often strips foods of their natural nutrients and fiber. A study in Italy found that even when a diet high in ultra-processed foods was supplemented by vitamins and other nutrients, the damaging effects on a person's health remained. Further study found that high ultra-processed food consumers also had markers of higher levels of inflammation. It's possible that the human body sees the artificial ingredients in such foods as invaders, which triggers the immune system to go into high gear. But with no biological invaders, such as bacteria or viruses, to fight against, the immune system puts chronic stress on the body. Read more about this research into ultra-processed foods at Real Clear Science.(Image credit: National Cancer Institute) #diet #nutrition #health #ultraprocessedfood

Eating Vegetables Actually Does Not Protect Against Cardiovascular DiseaseAnd that’s another reason to not eat vegetables– or at least a good excuse for anyone looking to push back against someone wanting to make you munch some veggies when you’re not in the mood!A UK Biobank study on 400,000 people discovered little to no evidence that supports the claim that vegetables affect the risk of cardiovascular disease. Researchers from the Nuffield Department of Population Health at the University of Oxford, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the University of Bristol studied and concluded that any small apparent positive effect can be explained by other factors and not just because of consuming cooked or uncooked vegetables.UK Biobank’s large-scale prospective study employed its large sample size, long-term follow-up, and detailed information on social and lifestyle factors to determine whether or not vegetable intake has an effect on the risk of getting cardiovascular diseases. “Our large study did not find evidence for a protective effect of vegetable intake on the occurrence of CVD. Instead, our analyses show that the seemingly protective effect of vegetable intake against CVD risk is very likely to be accounted for by bias from residual confounding factors, related to differences in socioeconomic situation and lifestyle,” Dr. Qi Feng, the study’s lead author further explained. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t eat vegetables, though! Image credit: Adli Wahid#vegetables #Nutrition #CVD #cardiovasculardiseases #UK #Biobank #study #research

Food Compass Ranks the Most to Least Healthy FoodMeet Food Compass, a new nutrient profiling system that can help people choose and produce healthier foods. The tool was developed by a scientific team from the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts in the last three years. According to a report in Nature Food, the following are the important features of the newest system: - Equally considering healthful vs. harmful factors in foods (many existing systems focus only on harmful factors);- Incorporating cutting-edge science on nutrients, food ingredients, processing characteristics, phytochemicals, and additives (existing systems focus largely on just a few nutrients); and- Objectively scoring all foods, beverages, and even mixed dishes and meals using one consistent score (existing systems subjectively group and score foods differently).The Compass profiles different foods in terms of scores, which are determined by different characteristics selected based on nutritional attributes linked to major chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and cancer, as well as the risk of undernutrition.So what are the most and least healthful food items ranked by the Food Compass? Raw raspberry gets the highest score, whereas instant noodle soup and ready to eat pudding (other than chocolate or fat free ones) tied for being the least healthful things you can eat.#FoodCompass #Nutrition #ProfilingSystem #Foodimage credit: Dan Gold / Unsplash