Ultra-processed foods and cigarettes: two worlds that seem distant, but perhaps aren't so distant. The idea that what we put on our plates might resemble, in its effects and mechanisms, what many associate with cigarettes has sparked heated debate among nutritionists, doctors, and others interested in the field. Recent American research has brought processed foods to the forefront. Published in The Milbank Quarterly, it states that the spread of processed foods, the ways they are marketed and designed, and their impact on public health, deserve the same level of attention as cigarette tobacco.
What the Study Says
Titled "From Tobacco to Ultraprocessed Food: How Industry Engineering Fuels the Epidemic of Preventable Disease," the study explores the possible similarities between cigarettes and ultraprocessed foods (UPF). According to the authors, including researchers from Harvard, the University of Michigan, and Duke, many highly processed foods aren't just foods, but products designed to be compellingly appealing. To achieve this, factories use optimal doses of refined sugars, fats, and other ingredients: once eaten, the brain is "manipulated," much like smoking cigarettes with nicotine.
According to scientists, this approach contributes to compulsive and obsessive consumption that goes beyond simple individual choice and can lead to serious health complications. Obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other disorders associated with ultra-processed food eating patterns are just some of the potential risks that can arise without proper attention. The study's goal is to help consumers understand that it's not just a matter of "eating less junk food": it's about recognizing how certain products are designed to foster habits that are difficult to break, nothing short of a full-blown addiction.
To recap, it's important to remember that ultra-processed foods are foods obtained through obvious industrial transformation. It's practically impossible to exactly replicate the flavor of your favorite packaged snack at home. This is because the ingredients used are so numerous, and in a home kitchen, we would never think of using highly refined sugars, processed fats, thickeners, and additives. Another negative aspect of these products is that they are full of salt, sugar, and fat, in addition to being unhealthy and lacking in essential nutrients such as protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. This category includes packaged cookies and snacks, carbonated drinks, breakfast cereals, ready meals, sweetened yogurts, and even several products perceived as "healthy," including some processed vegan foods.
Scientists' Opinions
An article in The Guardian, which interviewed the scientists involved in the study, added a "human perspective" to the discussion. Professor Ashley Gearhardt of the University of Michigan, an addiction psychology specialist, described how many of her patients express similar feelings of addiction to soft drinks, processed sweets, and cigarettes. She explains how ultra-processed products are designed to profoundly affect the pleasure and desire pathways, creating a form of attachment so "morbid" that it is difficult to break.
On the other hand, Martin Warren, director of the Quadram Institute, explained to the British newspaper that the study might be overblown. Indeed, the professor clarified that there is no official evidence that ultra-processed foods and cigarettes cause the same form of addiction. For this reason, the authors suggest that regulatory measures—from marketing controls to sales restrictions designed to reduce harm—may need to look to the history of tobacco control for effective intervention examples.
;Resize,width=767;)
