A man ate junk food for a month: how it affected his health

TV presenter Chris van Tulleken has set himself the task of following a diet consisting mainly of processed foods (semi-finished products) for a month. What came of it, said the publication with the BBC.

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It is believed that more than half of the energy the British get from food coming from highly processed foods. There are fears that such food makes people eat more and gain weight. It is estimated that in Britain one in four adults and one in five children aged 10-11 are obese.

“I wanted to know how a high-processed food diet would affect me,” says Chris van Tulleken, host of What Are We Feeding Our Children?

The effects of processed foods on the human body, especially children and adolescents who eat more processed foods than the average adult, have been relatively poorly researched.

For the experiment shown in the program, Chris increased his typical processed food intake from about 30% to 80% over four weeks.

“It looks extreme, but it's the diet of one in five Brits,” he says.

"I feel ten years older"

A month later, Chris's sleep and mood deteriorated, heartburn began, anxiety and lethargy developed, and his libido decreased. He also developed hemorrhoids from constipation.

“I felt 10 years older, but I didn’t realize it was all because of the food until I stopped the diet,” he says.

Chris gained almost 7 kg in four weeks and formally fell into the “overweight” category. “If I gained weight at this rate over six months, I would gain almost 40kg,” he says.

But that's not all.

Brain scans have shown that areas of Chris' brain that are responsible for reward have made connections with areas responsible for repetitive automatic behavior.

On the subject: Causing obesity and cancer: what are processed foods and why are they dangerous

“My brain just tells me to eat processed food, even if I don’t want to,” he says, explaining that this is how the brain reacts to the use of substances that we traditionally consider addictive: cigarettes, alcohol and drugs.

Changes in brain activity were not permanent. “But if my 42-year-old brain was so damaged in four weeks, then what happens to our children’s brains?” - he asks.

We don't know exactly why processed foods have this effect, but Chris believes most hypotheses boil down to a combination of physical processing and nutritional composition.

How much do we eat

Chris discussed the diet's results with Kevin Goll, a senior investigator at the National Institutes of Health. Hall conducted an experiment in which volunteers were given two diets that were identical in fat, sugar, salt and fiber, but one was made up of unprocessed foods and the other was about 80% ultra-processed. Participants could eat as much food as they wanted.

The study found that people who ate processed food consumed, on average, more than 500 more calories each day and gained nearly a pound of weight in two weeks. Blood tests showed an increase in the hormone responsible for hunger and a decrease in the hormone that makes us feel full. These results confirmed Chris's experience - the level of hunger hormones in his body increased by 30% during the experiment, which may have affected the amount of food consumed.

Hall also found that participants who ate processed foods ate much faster than those who ate unprocessed foods, which may have contributed to them consuming more calories. Chris also felt something similar - in his words, “many foods were so easy to chew and swallow.” Previous studies have shown that eating slowly reduces hunger.

"It's really hard to stop eating."

“I noticed that I wanted to eat a lot more often,” Chris noted. Other studies have shown that certain foods, such as pizza, chocolate, chips and cakes, can cause food cravings, loss of control and an inability to eat less.

There is evidence that foods high in carbohydrates and fat (like processed foods) can activate the brain centers responsible for reward, emotion, and motivation. Brain research shows that the more often you enjoy food, the more you need to eat to get the same amount of pleasure.

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Many ultra-processed foods have been tested in various focus groups. They tested people's reactions to taste, saltiness level, mouthfeel, and even the sound the product made when consumed. “I don’t think producers are intentionally trying to make us gain weight,” says Chris. “But delicious food has the side effect of making it really hard to stop eating.”

All processed foods should be avoided

Foods can be categorized as unprocessed or minimally processed (such as tomatoes), processed (canned tomatoes), and ultra-processed (store-bought tomato pasta sauce). Some such foods are healthier than others—whole-grain breakfast cereals, whole-grain sliced ​​bread, canned baked beans, and unsweetened soy or plant-based drinks—all of which are highly processed but retain their nutrients. Ready-made pasta sauces, ready-to-eat meals, spreads and cold cuts can also be helpful.

Some convenience foods have not been ultra-processed, but containing additives and chemicals that are not used in home cooking are likely to be processed. Because of affordability, convenience and marketing, it is "almost impossible" to give up such food, Chris says.

Nutritionist Ro Gantriss believes that while a diet high in ultra-processed foods is not recommended, if done infrequently, the health risks are minimal. “Healthy eating is all about balance,” she concluded.

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