[ti:How Bad Are Ultraprocessed Foods?]
[al:Health & Lifestyle]
[ar:VOA]
[dt:2024-09-10]
[by:www.voase.cn]
[00:00.00]Most Americans eat ultraprocessed foods every day.
[00:05.95]These are foods that you cannot make at home because they contain flavors and chemicals that change the taste or feel of the food.
[00:15.88]Such food may also go through preparation methods that are not possible in a home kitchen. 
[00:22.80]They are usually high in salt, sugar and fat.
[00:27.34]Americans may eat them in the form of sugary cereals at breakfast, frozen pizzas at dinner, and in-between bites like potato chips, sodas and ice cream.
[00:38.38]Ultraprocessed foods make up about 60 percent of the American diet.
[00:44.57]For children and teenagers, it is even higher - about two-thirds of what they eat.
[00:52.27]Scientists have connected eating ultraprocessed foods to poor health results. 
[00:57.67]Being overweight is one such result and that may lead to diabetes and heart disease.
[01:05.00]Other possible health risks include depression and dementia.
[01:09.59]One recent study suggested that eating these foods may raise the risk of early death.
[01:16.85]Nutrition science is complex, though, and most research so far has found connections -- not proof -- regarding the health effects of these foods.
[01:27.63]Food manufacturers argue that processing increases food safety and food supplies.
[01:35.53]They say it also offers a low-cost, easy way to provide a diverse and nutritious diet.
[01:43.53]The Associated Press asked several nutrition experts to explain these foods so that people can make informed choices.
[01:52.86]Most foods are processed, whether it is by freezing, grinding, fermentation, pasteurization or other means. 
[02:01.78]In 2009, Brazilian epidemiologist Carlos Monteiro and his team first proposed a way to classify foods by how much they are processed, not by their nutrient content. 
[02:15.55]This is called the Nova classification system. It is used by international bodies like the World Health Organization.
[02:25.94]Kevin Hall is a researcher who studies metabolism and diet at the National Institutes of Health. 
[02:33.40]He said that foods at the top of the Nova four-level scale are foods prepared with industrial processes and ingredients such as additives, colors and preservatives that you could not use in a home kitchen.
[02:49.76]"These are most, but not all, of the packaged foods you see," Hall said.
[02:55.75]Not all processing is unhealthy, Hall noted. Whole-grain bread, yogurt, tofu and infant formula are all highly processed, for example. But they are also nutritious.
[03:10.23]Still, many studies suggest that diets high in ultraprocessed foods are tied to poor health results.
[03:18.89]The exact cause is still unclear.
[03:21.84]Hall and his partners carried out a small study with 20 people who came to live at a health center for a month.
[03:30.47]Some of the people ate ultraprocessed foods, while others ate unprocessed foods. 
[03:36.52]The two groups got the same amount of calories, sugar, fat, fiber and nutrients for two weeks. 
[03:43.82]They could eat as much as they liked.
[03:47.06]When people ate the diet of ultraprocessed foods, they took in about 500 calories per day more than when they ate unprocessed foods, researchers found.
[03:58.67]They gained an average of about 1 kilogram during the study period. 
[04:04.49]People who ate only unprocessed foods for the same amount of time lost about 1 kilogram.
[04:10.98]A new study is currently taking place and its results should appear next year.
[04:17.03]Dr. Neena Prasad is director of the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Food Policy Program.
[04:24.51]She said such foods are often made to be both low-cost and very tasty.
[04:30.34]"You just can't stop eating them," Prasad said.
[04:34.37]She said she believes leaders have enough facts to change policies. 
[04:39.84]This could mean raising taxes on sugary drinks, limiting salt in these foods and controlling how advertisers sell the foods to children.
[04:50.13]Earlier this year, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf told a group of food policy experts that ultraprocessed foods are a complex subject. 
[05:03.00]However, Califf said, "We've got to have the scientific basis and then we've got to follow through."
[05:09.89]Aviva Musicus is science director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. 
[05:16.86]She said buyers should check information printed on food containers and make choices based on the current U.S. Dietary Guidelines.
[05:31.38]"We have really good evidence that added sugar is not great for us. We have evidence that high-sodium foods are not great for us," she said.
[05:37.17]Musicus added, "We have great evidence that fruits and vegetables which are minimally processed are really good for us."
[05:48.02]I'm Jill Robbins.