VOA健康报道2024--How Bad Are Ultraprocessed Foods?

Most Americans eat ultraprocessed foods every day. These are foods that you cannot make at home because they contain flavors and chemicals that change the taste or feel of the food.

Such food may also go through preparation methods that are not possible in a home kitchen. They are usually high in salt, sugar and fat. Americans may eat them in the form of sugary cereals at breakfast, frozen pizzas at dinner, and in-between bites like potato chips, sodas¹ and ice cream.

Ultraprocessed foods make up about 60 percent of the American diet. For children and teenagers, it is even higher - about two-thirds of what they eat.

Scientists have connected eating ultraprocessed foods to poor health results. Being overweight is one such result and that may lead to diabetes² and heart disease. Other possible health risks include depression and dementia. One recent study suggested that eating these foods may raise the risk of early death.

Nutrition science is complex, though, and most research so far has found connections -- not proof -- regarding the health effects of these foods.

Food manufacturers argue that processing increases food safety and food supplies. They say it also offers a low-cost, easy way to provide a diverse and nutritious³ diet.

The Associated Press asked several nutrition experts to explain these foods so that people can make informed choices.

What are ultraprocessed foods?

Most foods are processed, whether it is by freezing, grinding, fermentation, pasteurization or other means. 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 nutrient⁴ content. This is called the Nova classification system. It is used by international bodies like the World Health Organization.

Kevin Hall is a researcher who studies metabolism⁵ and diet at the National Institutes of Health. He said that foods at the top of the Nova four-level scale are foods prepared with industrial processes and ingredients such as additives⁶, colors and preservatives⁷ that you could not use in a home kitchen.

"These are most, but not all, of the packaged foods you see," Hall said.

Are ultraprocessed foods harmful?

Not all processing is unhealthy, Hall noted⁸. Whole-grain bread, yogurt, tofu and infant formula are all highly processed, for example. But they are also nutritious.

Still, many studies suggest that diets high in ultraprocessed foods are tied to poor health results. The exact cause is still unclear.

Hall and his partners carried out a small study with 20 people who came to live at a health center for a month. Some of the people ate ultraprocessed foods, while others ate unprocessed foods. The two groups got the same amount of calories, sugar, fat, fiber⁹ and nutrients¹⁰ for two weeks. They could eat as much as they liked.

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. They gained an average of about 1 kilogram during the study period. People who ate only unprocessed foods for the same amount of time lost about 1 kilogram.

A new study is currently taking place and its results should appear next year.

Should ultraprocessed foods be regulated?

Dr. Neena Prasad is director of the Bloomberg Philanthropies' Food Policy Program. She said such foods are often made to be both low-cost and very tasty.

"You just can't stop eating them," Prasad said. She said she believes leaders have enough facts to change policies. This could mean raising taxes on sugary drinks, limiting salt in these foods and controlling how advertisers sell the foods to children.

Earlier this year, Food and Drug Administration Commissioner¹¹ Robert Califf told a group of food policy experts that ultraprocessed foods are a complex subject. However, Califf said, "We've got to have the scientific basis and then we've got to follow through."

How should consumers manage ultraprocessed foods at home?

Aviva Musicus is science director for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. She said buyers should check information printed on food containers and make choices based on the current U.S. Dietary Guidelines.

"We have really good evidence that added sugar is not great for us. We have evidence that high-sodium¹² foods are not great for us," she said.

Musicus added, "We have great evidence that fruits and vegetables which are minimally¹³ processed are really good for us."

Words in This Story

dementia - n. a mental illness that causes someone to be unable to think clearly or to understand what is real and what is not real

diverse - adj. made up of people or things that are different from each other

convenient - adj. allowing you to do something easily or without trouble

fermentation - n. to go through a chemical change that results in the production of alcohol

pasteurization - n. a process in which a liquid (such as milk or cream) is heated to a temperature that kills harmful germs and then cooled quickly

epidemiology - n. the study of how disease spreads and can be controlled

metabolism - n. the chemical processes by which a plant or an animal uses food, water, and the like5 to grow and heal and to make energy

scale - n. a range of levels of something from lowest to highest

sodium - n. a soft silver-white element that is found in salt, baking soda, and other compounds

1 sodas   

n.苏打( soda的名词复数 )；碱；苏打水；汽水

参考例句：

• There are plenty of sodas in the refrigerator. 冰箱里有很多碳酸饮料。 来自辞典例句
• Two whisky and sodas, please. 请来两杯威士忌苏打。 来自辞典例句

2 diabetes   

n.糖尿病

参考例句：

• In case of diabetes, physicians advise against the use of sugar.对于糖尿病患者，医生告诫他们不要吃糖。
• Diabetes is caused by a fault in the insulin production of the body.糖尿病是由体內胰岛素分泌失调引起的。

3 nutritious   

adj.有营养的，营养价值高的

参考例句：

• Fresh vegetables are very nutritious.新鲜蔬菜富于营养。
• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious.蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。

4 nutrient   

adj.营养的，滋养的；n.营养物，营养品

参考例句：

• Magnesium is the nutrient element in plant growth.镁是植物生长的营养要素。
• The roots transmit moisture and nutrient to the trunk and branches.根将水分和养料输送到干和枝。

5 metabolism   

n.新陈代谢

参考例句：

• After years of dieting,Carol's metabolism was completely out of whack.经过数年的节食，卡罗尔的新陈代谢完全紊乱了。
• All living matter undergoes a process of metabolism.生物都有新陈代谢。

6 additives   

n.添加剂( additive的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• chemical additives in petrol 汽油中的化学添加剂
• It'says on the packet that these crisps contain no additives. 包装上说这些炸薯片不含添加剂。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 preservatives   

n.防腐剂( preservative的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The juice contains no artificial preservatives. 这种果汁不含人工防腐剂。
• Meat spoils more quickly without preservatives. 不加防腐剂，肉会坏得快。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

8 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

9 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

10 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 commissioner   

n.（政府厅、局、处等部门）专员，长官，委员

参考例句：

• The commissioner has issued a warrant for her arrest.专员发出了对她的逮捕令。
• He was tapped for police commissioner.他被任命为警务处长。

12 sodium   

n.（化）钠

参考例句：

• Out over the town the sodium lights were lit.在外面，全城的钠光灯都亮了。
• Common salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine.食盐是钠和氯的复合物。

13 minimally   

最低限度地，最低程度地

参考例句：

• Food spoilage problems occur with minimally processed, concentrated frozen citrus products. 食品的变质也发生在轻微加工的、浓缩冷冻的柑橘制品中。
• So, minimally, they are responsible for such actions and omissions. 所以，至少来说，他们要对这样的行为和忽略负责。