Food scientist and nutritional biologist. Nutrition science is complicated, but eating healthy is easy. Allow breaks from food and avoid the ultra-processed.
Did we get dietary saturated fats all wrong? The
#HADLmodel
provides a new understanding and an opportunity to get it right. THREAD👇👇👇
@simondankel
@kariannesve
Being a bit philosophical, isn’t it strange how humanity is making a huge detour from whole foods, shunning them for decades while getting sicker and sicker, only to – eventually - being forced back to the diet we have evolved on? The aliens observing us must be laughing so hard.
The second study to show an association between ultraprocessed foods and diabetes type 2. The first in France, now in the UK. Evidence keeps piling up. Opponents of NOVA, prepare to change side? It'll be embarrassing.
"A low carb diet might lead to impaired renal function".
"Let's check. No, it doesn't"
The importance of not letting assumptions get in the way of useful interventions.
What's driving weight gain? From what we know so far: Not carbs. Not fat. Not energy density. But ultraprocessing. What's wrong with ultra-processed foods? We don't know that yet. Excellent interview with
@KevinH_PhD
My crystal ball predicts future studies showing associations between
#ultraprocessed
foods and:
COPD
Migraine
Alzheimer's
Osteoporosis
Osteoarthritis
Why? They all have
#inflammation
as part of the clinical picture. Ultraprocessed foods seem to increase inflammation.
Maltodextrin - the new darling of the UPF food industry, used for sweetness, mouthfeel and as a filler to increase profit. Reduces mucus production, induces colon histopathology and increases systemic inflammation in IL-10 KO mice.
The British Dietetic Association's position statement on processed foods is an unbelievable read. I wonder how many of its members are actually supporting the view that people in risk of malnutrition should get energy from processed foods high in sugar and fat?
@BDA_Dietitians
"Therefore, dairy fat, when consumed as part of complex whole foods, does not adversely impact these classic CVD risk factors". Let's stop recommending fat-reduced dairy products.
New study on
#ultraprocessed
foods and obesity in the
#UK
. A strong dose-respons relationship. How to control the obesity epidemic? Regulate
#ultraprocessed
foods. Now.
"...LDL cholesterol (the “bad” cholesterol), manufactured by the body through the action of saturated fats".
This is just plain wrong!
And can we please stop demonizing whole foods when we know the problem is ultra-processed.
Ultra-processed foods are linked with most major NCDs, and new adverse health outcomes are added to the list at a steady pace. 7 systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses published in 2020 add to the evidence.
Another meta-analysis on ultra-processed food consumption and cancer. Like in the meta-analysis from University of Bergen, effect sizes for colorectal cancer are much larger than for the association with red meat. But, hey - let's blame the red meat.
A business model based on researching what kind of food-like, edible substances are best suited to override biological signals for appetite regulation - and then get people to eat and drink more of them - is fundamentally inhumane.
#Ultraprocessed
foods are associated with abdominal obesity (AO), again. And highly relevant, given the role of AO in metabolic health. And the role of metabolic health in
#COVID19
severity.
Nature created breast milk to ensure that development and biological programming enable lifelong health. Now we are letting
#BigFormula
rob our children of this specially designed food. It's madness! Congrats on a great paper,
@PhilBakerNZ
NEW PAPER OUT!! 🔥 First-food systems transformations & the ultra-processing of infant & young child diets. A key driver of the global rise in milk formula consumption, among others, is the globalization of
#BigFormula
& its marketing practices
#CDOH
#IYCF
@davidasinclair
Please point me to a study confirming the kidney damage issue from a (whole foods) high protein intake per se, in humans or a model relevant for human physiology and metabolism.
"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already....what is laid before him.” Tolstoj
"As far as I can tell, people get the concept (of ultra-processed foods) right away, which is one reason why the food industry opposes the concept so strongly."
This is my experience too. Claims about confusion are diversion tactics.
Why there is so much push-back against the use of (very) low carbohydrate interventions in conditions where ability to handle carbohydrates is impaired, is beyond me.
Please read and RT - our 2-year prediabetes paper. Remarkable retention and results compared to published DPP and NDPP. . Isn't FINALLY time to try something new?
According to NNR2023, we should eat legumes instead of game - like moose, deer and reindeer - to reduce methane emissions. Someone, help our profession.
Bad diets used to be the burden of the poor. Now "everyone" eats
#ultraprocessed
foods, in large quantities. The younger more than the older. Results from 8 European countries. .
And even more high quality evidence regarding the role of
#ultraprocessed
foods in overweight and obesity. It's getting harder and harder to argue for the relevance of nutritional studies not assessing food quality.
Four years and 442 citations later, I would argue that our paper on the link between ultra-processed foods and the microbiome is more relevant than ever
@ingelindseth
Ultra-processed food consumption is associated with adverse mental health. And yes, maybe we need more "rigorously designed prospective and experimental studies". But we could facilitate the exchange of UPF for whole foods now, without any health risk.
Statements like "Some ultra-processed
foods, such as yogurt, have important nutrients" are widespread, not mentioning that yogurt spread across categories. Plain yogurt is minimally processed.
A misinformation-campain? From the playbook: Cast doubt.
#UPF
"...we believe breastfeeding post-vaccination is safe, especially 48 h after vaccination"
Why not just present the fact that spike protein mRNA is present in breast milk, without the believing?
Several biological mechanisms link ultra-processed foods with adverse health outcomes. The microbiome plays an important role. Great review by some of the greatest minds in this field.
"Foods that were consumed in a binge pattern were 100% ultra-processed". This is excactly what these foods are designed to do, i.e. they work as intended by the manufacturers. We need to regulate them to protect the vulnerable, who seem to be many.
Dear Twitter friends. Do you have opinions on TG/HDL ratio as a useful proxy for insulin resistance? If so, is there an optimal ratio, and why? So many different cut-offs in the literature..
A flawed concept when reporting the nutritional content of food is not incorporating bioavailability. Just because a food has x amount doesn't mean you will absorb x; in many cases you won't due to anti-nutrients. It's misleading to claim spinach is nutritious for ex., etc.
Dietary factors causing chronic low-grade inflammation, driven by diet-microbiome interactions, should receive more attention. The role of saturated fats in pathogenesis may be misconceived and greatly exaggerated.
#HADLmodel
“In my opinion, saturated fat has been blamed for what refined carbohydrates do.”
Cheese, Eggs, Milk, and Meat:
Solving the Mystery of Saturated Fat by Markham Heid in
@elemental
Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods by Pesco-Vegetarians, Vegetarians, and Vegans: Associations with Duration and Age at Diet Initiation - PubMed
This is very interesting. The rate of UPF consumption is about half in 🇫🇷 vs 🇬🇧
After many years of pondering, I still find this paper interesting in many ways. The fact that hyperglycemia creates oxidative stress, that elevated glucose uses up antioxidant vitamins, and that change of diet means change of micronutrient requirement.
If artificially sweetened beverages really were better for us, wouldn't it show up in studies like these? Similar results as from the Nutri Net Santé in France. They're both bad alternatives.
Great podcast with
@TyRBeal
on the importance of animal sourced foods for nutritional needs, especially in children and women of childbearing age. Objective, nuanced, scientifically supported.
From the tweet, you would think this is some random guy who simply misunderstood. About group 3 and 4 foods. How NOVA works, and that classification is made according to personal beliefs. But this guy was heavily involved in the NNR2023, and knows better. Why the misleading?
Many people are suprised that whole-grain bread is classified as ultra-processed according to the Nova framework. As Monteiro wrote in 2011 in
@WPHNA
: it's because of his personal opinion that bread is not "good" (except for the bread he eats himself!) ... Good enough reason?
Great thread. There is no high quality evidence supporting that a moderate consumption of meat, in a whole foods context, contributes to health problems. Quite the opposite.
Is moderate consumption of unprocessed red meat a net contributor to disease? Probably not. It contributes greatly to satiety, protein, and essential amino acid requirements and adequacy of essential micronutrients commonly lacking worldwide, including iron, zinc, and B12.
Several of the most experienced researchers in the field of ultra-processed foods agree that public health policies to reduce consumption cannot wait. The
#NNR2023
committee thought they knew better.
How helpful are nutrient profiling systems if they rate ultra-processed foods, like Lucky charms, as more healthy than whole nutritious foods, like eggs? Not at all. Our critique of the Food Compass is finally published.
@TyRBeal
From the ongoing revision of the Nordic Nutrition Recommendations: the chapter on fats and oils is now completed.
"Intake of butter was not associated with risk of CVD.."
This is progress.
For alle som er opptatt av mat og helse, her er langversjonen! Må man spise frokost? Er
#oppdrettlaks
sunt? Hva med #økologisk mat? Jeg snakker med
@ToreSagen
om _hva_ vi bør spise, og _når_ vi bør spise det.
#ultraprosessert
Great paper adding much needed nuance to the debate about animal source foods in our diets. Thank you for writing this
@TyRBeal
@fleroy1974
@vanvlietphd
and others 🙏
Can animal source foods contribute to healthy, sustainable, and ethical diets? In a new review, we argue, largely, yes. But there is a lot of nuance in the discussion. Read our argument against a drastic limitation of livestock in the food system.
👉🏼
"..given the prevalence of ultra-processed food consumption and given that ultra-processed foods tend to displace more healthful foods in the diet, timely action to curb the consumption of ultra-processed foods is needed."
A high intake of ultra-processed foods before and during early pregancy is comparable to smoking more than 10 cigarettes a day when it comes to fetal growth.
I thought I knew a lot about UPF. But I just started reading "Ultra-processed people" - a rollercoaster of horror and excitement - and I learn something on every page.
@DoctorChrisVT
- your wit and wisdom will change our food environment.
@TyRBeal
You're probably familiar with this work by
@AgnesAyton
"Foods that were consumed in a binge pattern were 100% ultra-processed." Blows my mind!
This is wildly interesting, IMO. Look for bacterial molecules in human tissues, and you'll find them. In chronic disease, at least. And happy to see a study in which they measure what the bacteria do, not just who they are!
@gerdosi
"...researchers who accept industry funding rarely recognize industry influence—it seems to occur at some unconscious level"
Nutrition science is _shaped_ by industry funded thinking
Industry-funded study of the week: a citrus and pomegranate supplement
I applaud the
#EUCancerPlan
*BUT* caution: putting
#meat
🥩 (a nourishing, evolutionary food) in the same box as 🚬 to solve a contemporary health challenge, would be basing policy on assumptions rather than robust data.
#FollowTheScience
yes, but not just part of it!
THREAD👇
Our
#HADLmodel
implies that circulating levels of LDL change for protective, not for pathological reasons; an SFA-induced raise in LDL cholesterol in healthy individuals is a normal response, while a lack of this needed response may reflect a deeper pathology in lipid handling.
More high level evidence pointing at
#ultraprocessed
foods and its associations with NCDs. Consumption of ultra-processed foods and health status: a systematic review and meta-analysis
This study does not support the notion that animal foods (fatty cheeses and meat), in the context of an otherwise healthy diet, are detrimental to human health. Actually, quite the opposite.
Even if it were true that we lack understanding of biological mechanisms, the defensive approach taken by many national health authorities cannot be justified any longer.
Very interesting from
@marionnestle
"combined with our own evaluation of the totality of the evidence"
This is where industry interests are prioritized over public health, in the critical, non-transparent, non-quality assured process of writing up advice
NOVA classification was conceived in Latin America in response to the corporate capture of indigenous food cultures and local culinary traditions by profit-hungry multinationals originating in the Global North.
Critics of the UPF concept want you to forget this - 🧵
@KetoCarnivore
@carnivorycon
You have probably covered this before, but didn't see it in the thread? Avoiding rise in blood glucose means we need much less vitamin C to deal with the production of reactive oxygen species.
Vitamin C reduces hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress. Which probably means that reduced sugar intake and less increase in blood glucose requires less vitamin C. The changing requirements of nutrients with changing diets is poorly studied, IMO.
Journals are meant to publish rigorous science that informs best practice. Not nefarious corporate marketing targeting health professionals, that ultimately harms maternal & child health. These conflicts of interest need to end. See this new commentary👇
"There needs to be more scrutiny into a study that says candy & donuts are healthier than eggs."
Couldn't agree more. You'll find scrutiny in the preprint.
A study using GBD data suggests each peanut butter & jelly sandwich (mostly white bread) adds 33 minutes of healthy life & candy, sweets & sugar are healthier than poultry, eggs & red meat. Our letter of concern was rejected by the journal.
Read it here 👉🏼
Finish study of daycare centers: nutritionist‐planned
#vegan
meals led to vit A insufficiency & border‐line vit D, lower serum levels of essential AAs & DHA, & distinct phospholipid & bile acid profiles compared to omnivores
Original study here:
SR and meta-analysis for intake of UPF and risk of CRC. Effect size larger than for e.g. red meat, and statistically significant. Yet we advice to reduce red meat, but not UPF.
Meget godt skrevet om ernæringsforskningens utilstrekkelighet, og om å gi sterke anbefalinger på svak evidens. Og selv om jeg støtter abonnementer (det var jo aldri gratis å lese avis og magasiner) skulle jeg ønske denne teksten kom kom bredere ut, og at alle kunne lese.