Not just the ingredients: The processing of ultra-processed foods look to be part of their health risks

(©2026 COGwriter)

COGwriter

Ultraprocessed foods are dangerous and there have been many articles about them here at this COGwriter Church of God News page for years. Here is one from 2016: Most calories for Americans come from ultra-processed ‘foods’. Here is one from 2026: Food Processing industry ‘Can’t Ignore the Science: Ultraprocessed Foods Are Killing Us’.

But it is not just the ingredients, but how they are processed.

How Ultra-Processed Foods Are Made Matters as Much as What’s in Them

June 15, 2026

Public concern over the effects of ultra-processed foods has been growing. Research has increasingly associated these foods with a higher risk of conditions like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and even early death.

Despite these concerns, ultra-processed foods make up around 55%Trusted Source of the American diet.

“UPFs [ultra-processed foods] do offer some advantages, but at the expense of the consumer’s health. They are convenient, affordable, have a long shelf life, and are often engineered to be highly palatable, which contributes to their widespread consumption,” said Mir Ali, MD, medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA. Ali was not involved in the study.

“Because of these factors, UPFs are extremely prevalent in the modern diet. While many people are generally aware that these foods are not optimal for health, convenience and taste often drive decision making,” he told Healthline.

Experts are also still looking into exactly what drives the risks from ultra-processed foods. …

A recent study published in the American Journal of Public Health (AJPH) suggests that processing may actually play an independent role in the health risks posed by ultra-processed foods. The researchers found that people who ate more ultra-processed foods had worse health outcomes. This was evident even after accounting for the overall nutritional values of the foods. …

The study showed that for every 10% increase in calories from ultra-processed foods, individuals had worse health markers. Those who ate larger amounts of ultra-processed foods tended to have:

• higher body weight
• lower blood sugar management
• higher blood pressure
• worse cholesterol levels

These individuals were also more likely to have conditions, such as diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and cancer. They also had a higher risk of dying during the study period.

These connections remained even after accounting for the food’s nutrient quality, as well as the amount of saturated fat, added sugars, and sodium in the ultra-processed foods. The patterns remained largely the same across subgroups of individuals. https://www.healthline.com/health-news/how-ultra-processed-foods-are-made-matters#How-are-ultra-processed-foods-made

Yes, food processing can cause a lot of problems.

One of the issues that I have long had about the American Dietetics Association (ADA) has been its support of processed foods. For one year, I was a member of the American Dietetics Association. I was appalled by its promotion of ultraprocessed foods, radiated foods, and artificial sweeteners when I once attended its annual national conference decades ago. I did not renew my membership after that.

But the ADA, like a lot of the mainstream, acts/teaches/promotes the idea that there are only certain nutrients that are essential, and that combined with sufficient protein, calories, and liquid, they are all that is needed for proper human health.

Those who hold that view tend to discount, and often sneer, at the idea that other substances in food are helpful.

They are in error.

Let’s take enzymes. Enzymes are involved in almost every metabolic process in the body.

They tend to be destroyed at temperatures about 130 degrees Fahrenheit, hence ultraprocessing of foods often destroys them.

Notice the following about them:

How many enzymes are in the human body?

To date, approximately 75,000 enzymes are thought to exist in the human body—all divided into three classes: metabolic enzymes that run our bodies, digestive enzymes that digest our food, and food enzymes from raw foods that start our food digestion. A reason exists for so many enzymes: various metabolic functions may require a whole complex of enzymes to complete hundreds of reactions. In general, individual enzymes are named by adding the suffix “-ase” to the name of the substrate with which the enzyme reacts; for example, the enzyme amylase controls the breakdown of amylose (starch).

https://www.papertrell.com/apps/preview/The-Handy-Biology-Answer-Book/handy%20answer%20book/How-many-enzymes-are-in-the-human-body/001137031/content/SC/52caff2582fad14abfa5c2e0_default.html accessed 08/22/22

What Are Enzymes?

Enzymes are biologically active proteins found in all living cells.  Metabolic enzymes catalyze and regulate every biochemical reaction that occurs within the human body, making them essential for cellular function and overall health.  Digestive enzymes turn the food we eat into energy which may be utilized by the body for various biological processes.  Our bodies naturally produce both digestive and metabolic enzymes, as they are needed.

Enzymes are protein chemicals, which carry a vital energy factor needed for every chemical action, and reaction that occurs in our body. There are approximately 1300 different enzymes found in the human cell. These enzymes can combine with coenzymes to form nearly 100,000 various chemicals that enable us to see, hear, feel, move, digest food, and think. Every organ, every tissue, and all the 100 trillion cells in our body depend upon the reactions of metabolic enzymes and their energy factor. Nutrition cannot be explained without describing the part that enzymes play.

… Food Enzymes are introduced to the body through the raw foods we eat and through consumption of supplemental enzyme products. Raw foods naturally contain enzymes, providing a source of digestive enzymes when ingested. However, raw food manifests only enough enzymes to digest that particular food. The cooking and processing of food destroys all of its enzymes. Since most of the foods we eat are cooked or processed in some way and because the raw foods we do eat contain only enough enzymes to process that particular food, our bodies must produce the majority of the digestive enzymes we require, unless we use supplemental enzymes … https://enzyscience.com/pages/enzyme-faq#:~:text=Our%20bodies%20naturally%20produce%20both,found%20in%20the%20human%20cell. accessed 08/22/22

Let it be noted that most B vitamins as well as vitamin C and K also function as coenzymes or precursors for coenzymes.

As far as enzymes go, a study of dogs found that those in the wild had larger brains and small pancreases than domesticated ones (Howell E, MD. Enzyme Nutrition, 1985). This is believed to be because domesticated dogs tended to eat cooked foods devoid of enzymes, whereas wild ones were consuming an entirely raw diet. Furthermore in a review of a book, Stephen Blauer, wrote:

Enzyme Nutrition points out that each one of us is given a limited supply of bodily enzyme energy at birth. This supply, like the energy supply in your new battery, has to last a lifetime. The faster you use up your enzyme supply, the shorter your life. A great deal of our enzyme energy is wasted haphazardly throughout life. The habit of cooking our food and eating it processed with chemicals; and the use of alcohol, drugs, and junk food all draw out tremendous quantities of enzymes from our limited supply. Frequent colds and fevers and exposure to extremes of temperature also deplete the supply. A body in such a weakened, enzyme-deficient state is a prime target for cancer, obesity, heart disease, or other degenerative problems. A lifetime of such abuse often ends in the tragedy of death at middle age.

That said, some have claimed that going to a 100% raw diet will cure the human body of just about everything. However, while increasing the amount of enzymes in the diet (as well as in freeze-dried bovine glands, for example) can aid in many situations, it is not a cure-all.

A chiropractor I knew in WCG and GCG recommended having 25% of your diet raw. Getting at least some raw foods in the diet can be helpful.

You should–if you can get them safely–consume some raw foods.

That said, the different enzymes help different organs and different functions related to the organs. Enzymes are biological catalysts. That means that their presence basically encourages the body to build up, repair, or digest something–basically like a supervisor being present encourages many to work.

As it turns out, many governments fail to see the importance of the consumption of enzymes by humans, and hence recommend more heat-processed items than are optimal for health.

My first nutrition class was on enzymes–but that was in a non-accredited program. Yet, the lack of governmental acceptance of something does not mean it is not true.

Enzymes are important to human health.

Now that brings me to another article I saw last week by ProPublica. Here is the link that Google News had related to the article:

He Profits Off Raw Milk That’s Making People Sick. The Government Isn’t Stopping Him.

The actual article starts off with the following:

Reporting Highlights

• Raw Milk on the Rise: Driven by political shifts and wellness trends, unpasteurized milk has moved from a fringe obsession to a widespread movement rooted in institutional distrust.
• The Myth of Safety: Despite stringent hygiene efforts, contamination from deadly bacteria like E. coli and salmonella remains an inherent, unavoidable risk in unpasteurized dairy.
• A Political Shield: As raw milk continues to sicken consumers, high-level lawmakers and government officials are championing the industry’s expansion rather than curbing the danger.

These highlights were written by the reporters and editors who worked on this story.

ProPublica is a nonprofit newsroom that investigates abuses of power. 06/09/26

But it is ProPublica, in my view, which is abusing power here.

Raw milk contains enzymes that pasteurized milk does not. Furthermore, raw milk does not go through the homogenization process that a lot of cow’s milk goes through. And that homogenization can be said to be ultraprocessed as it changes the physical organization and surface structure of the fat.

Goat’s milk has smaller fat globules and a slightly different protein structure (lower $\alpha_{s1}$-casein levels) than cow’s milk, making it naturally homogenized and often easier on human digestion.

Regarding milk, the Book of Proverbs teaches:

27 You shall have enough goats’ milk for your food,
For the food of your household,
And the nourishment of your maidservants. (Proverbs 27:27)

In our house, we consume goat’s milk for milk.

And, for many years we had our own goats, which we milked. And we drank the milk raw. Now, since we no longer have animals, my wife buys goat’s milk–and raw when she can.

Anyway, yes ultraprocessed foods are dangerous.

Yet, they are often consumed.

‘Big Food’ is not pleased with “the science” that points to health risks associated with the consumption of ultraprocessed foods.

Yet, in the USA, various dietitians reportedly have been saying that obesity and processed foods are good and healthy because they have received money from ‘Big Food’ (see General Mills funded dieticians who try to claim being obese is healthy and that ultra-processed foods are good).

Now some good news is that consumption of ultraprocessed foods appears to be dropping:

Three Factors Leave Salty-Snack Demand Stale

June 15, 2026

UBS analyst Peter Grom, who covers U.S. consumer staples including packaged food, beverages, and household products, served up a sour outlook for the salty-snack category, warning that the recovery investors had hoped for remains further out than expected. …

“The combination of GLP-1 adoption, potential SNAP benefit reductions, and broader consumer spending pressures tied to the current geopolitical conflict has weighed on snack demand,” the analyst said.

Grom noted that the Nielsen data show little evidence of a robust recovery, with buy rates, purchase frequency, spending per trip, units per trip, and overall projected sales all slowing. The category is also losing share to “better-for-you” options. …

Pepsi’s Frito-Lay North America food unit has experienced negative sales growth for much of the past year and continues to lose share despite investments in pricing, promotions, merchandising, and shelf space.

Another pressure point has been declining sales at convenience stores. He said C-store salty-snack sales, historically a strong growth engine, fell 3.5% in the latest 13 weeks as higher pump prices weighed on traffic and impulse purchases. https://www.zerohedge.com/markets/three-factors-leave-salty-snack-demand-stale

So, partially because of weight loss, partially because various states are no longer willing to subsidize the consumption of certain ultraprocessed foods, and people looking for foods that are “better-for-you,” sales for the certain ultraprocessed “foods” are down.

The fact is that consumption of less packaged foods is healthier for most people.

Because the negative effects take time, many are wrongly persuaded by advertisements and availability to eat too much highly processed foods. Many also deceive themselves into falsely believing that they cannot cause serious problems–yet they can.

The following scripture came to mind:

11 Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)

Yes, you can often “get-away with” eating a lot of ultraprocessed foods. But for most people, there will be health consequences of consuming large amounts of them.

In general, people should strive to eat real food and for most people, at least two or more servings of fruit and three of more servings of vegetables daily, relatively small amounts of meats, whole grains, and olive oil come to mind. Refined grains, sugars (whether natural or artificial), sodas, and GMOs should be highly limited or not consumed at all

The Bible teaches:

3 You shall not eat any detestable thing. (Deuteronomy 14:3)

Many ultraprocessed foods contain GMOs and potentially toxic chemicals–hence many truly are detestable.

God’s word also says:

2 … Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good (Isaiah 55:2).

People should try to eat real, not artificial, foods. And if you take vitamins and minerals, take the type whose nutrients are 100% food (which is what I personally do).

In 2022, the Continuing Church of God put out the following sermon on its ContinuingCOG channel:

It is nice that some are warning about some of the evils affecting the food supply.

Some items of possibly related interest may include:

Christian Health Matters Should Christians be concerned about their health? Does the Bible give any food and health guidelines? Here are links to three related sermons: Let’s Talk About Food, Evil is Affecting the Food Supply, and Let’s Talk About Health.
American foods that gross out foreigners A study done in the Fall of 2014 found out which foods that non-USA Americans considered weird or gross that Americans eat. This video discusses those foods, ingredients in some of those foods, and warns against consuming ‘that which is not bread’ (Isaiah 55:2). Dr. Thiel also warns about synthetic vitamins and some of the issues associated with them. He also discusses something promoted by the late Seventh-day Adventist, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg.
The New Testament Church, History, and Unclean Meats Are foods considered to have been unclean in the Old Testament considered to be food in the New Testament? This article discusses this from the perspective of the New Testament. It also has a list of clean and unclean animals. It also answers the question, is pork healthy or is pork dangerous? There is also a sermon-length video on this: Christians and Unclean Meats; two short videos are also available: Did Jesus declare all animal flesh food? and COVID, Pandemics, and Unclean Meat.
Obesity, processed foods, health risks, and the Bible Does the Bible warn about the consequences of being obese? Is overeating dangerous? Is gluttony condemned? What diseases are associated with eating too much refined foods?
Eating Right, Eating Too Much, and Prophecy Are there disadvantages to being overweight? Is junk food really bad for you? Does the Bible discuss overeating and/or obesity? Is overeating having an effect on the US military? What are the ramifications of personal and national health for overeating? What should you eat? This is a sermonette-length YouTubevideo.
GMOs and Bible Prophecy What are GMOs? Since they were not in the food supply until 1994, how could they possibly relate to Bible prophecy? Do GMOs put the USA and others at risk? Here are some related videos: GMO Risks and the Bible and GMOs, Lab meat, Hydrogenation: Safe or Dangerous?
Chimeras: Has Science Crossed the Line? What are chimeras?  Has science crossed the line? Does the Bible give any clues? A video of related interest is Half human, half pig: What’s the difference?  and Human-Monkey Embryos and Death.
Ten Simple Rules that Lead to Health Herbert Armstrong gives his opinions on this.
Does God Heal Today? What does the Bible teach? Herbert Armstrong tries to explain this.
UK Study Supports Daniel Diet Daniel and his companions looked better eating more vegetables and avoiding strange meats. Has modern science confirmed this?
Lost Tribes and Prophecies: What will happen to Australia, the British Isles, Canada, Europe, New Zealand and the United States of America? Where did those people come from? Can you totally rely on DNA? What about other peoples? Do you really know what will happen to Europe and the English-speaking peoples? What about Africa, Asia, South America, and the Islands? This free online book provides scriptural, scientific, historical references, and commentary to address those matters. Here are links to related sermons: Lost tribes, the Bible, and DNA; Lost tribes, prophecies, and identifications; 11 Tribes, 144,000, and Multitudes; Israel, Jeremiah, Tea Tephi, and British Royalty; Gentile European Beast; Royal Succession, Samaria, and Prophecies; Asia, Islands, Latin America, Africa, and Armageddon;  When Will the End of the Age Come?;  Rise of the Prophesied King of the North; Christian Persecution from the Beast; WWIII and the Coming New World Order; and Woes, WWIV, and the Good News of the Kingdom of God.