Ultraprocessed foods are designed to not satisfy, accelerate ageing, and are poisoning us

(©2026 COGwriter)

COGwriter

Ultraprocessed foods are dangerous:

Experts know that UPFs are poisoning us – here is what to remove from your diet now

Ultra-processed foods are engineered to never fully satisfy, have a significant impact on our health – and contribute to accelerated ageing.

July 5, 2026

Generally speaking, food and fear make for poor bedfellows. But the evidence against UPFs continues to stack up. “One of the key reasons why our modern food environment is driving accelerated ageing is that, through UPFs, a lot of us are bombarding our bodies with more calories than they need,” says Dr David Cox, a neuroscientist and author of The Age Code.

“Our body composition ends up changing. Between the ages of 20 and 40, many people are losing muscle and replacing it with this internal fat called visceral fat, which is really inflammatory.”

As a signifier of UPF’s significance, the American Journal of Public Health recently published a special issue on the public health risks of ultra-processed foods. …

In both the UK and the US, these items now account for more than half of the calories consumed by adults. In children, this figure is closer to two-thirds, reveals Dr Ashley Gearhardt, a professor of psychology and chair of the clinical science area at the University of Michigan.

But why are we eating it in such large volumes? According to both Dr Gearhardt and Dr Cox, it comes down to what the former calls “the bliss point”. This is a precise combination of refined carbohydrates (often sugar), fat and salt – rarely found in nature – that keeps us wanting more without ever feeling entirely satisfied. …

“This didn’t happen by accident,” adds Dr Gearhardt, who also contributes to Fed UP! – a collection of scientists aiming to educate people about UPFs.

“Food companies have spent decades designing ultra-processed products that are intensely rewarding to eat while providing relatively little nourishment. They’ve made these products inexpensive, convenient, heavily marketed and ubiquitous.

“The problem isn’t that people suddenly lost all willpower. We’ve built a food environment where these engineered ultra-processed products increasingly dominate, replacing minimally processed foods in the diet.” …

“We’re seeing more and more epidemiological studies showing that immune cells in the gut react to the presence of these things as foreign substances, triggering this chronic inflammation over time,” Dr Cox says.

This leaves the immune system with an untenable to-do list, leading to a permanent state of high alert, Dr Cox adds. And, as anyone unexpectedly lumped with extra work commitments can relate to, its performance in its primary role suffers as a result.

“It’s supposed to be doing things like screening for early-stage cancers,” Dr Cox says. “That is one theory as to why people under the age of 50 are developing them more frequently.” …

“Studies consistently find that people who consume more ultra-processed foods have poorer health outcomes across multiple large populations and research designs,” says Dr Gearhardt.

“Two studies from the American Journal of Public Health’s recent special section on ultraprocessed foods and public health found that higher consumption of ultra-processed food is consistently associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, cancer, higher BMI, blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as an increased risk of dementia and cognitive impairment in older adults.”

The Lancet, one of the world’s best-respected medical journals, also released a three-paper series last year on the increase in UPF globally and the association with many non-communicable diseases.

A resulting editorial, titled “Ultra-processed Foods: Time to Put Health Before Profit”, started with a stark and unambiguous message: “The rise of UPFs in human diets is damaging public health, fuelling chronic diseases worldwide and deepening health inequalities.” https://www.independent.co.uk/health-and-fitness/ultraprocessed-food-health-risks-upf-b3007548.html

Here is some information from the US Centers for Disease Control:

Sandwiches (including burgers), sweet bakery products, savory snacks, and sweetened beverages were four of the top five sources of calories from ultra-processed foods among youth and adults. …

Ultra-processed foods tend to be hyperpalatable, energy-dense, low in dietary fiber, and contain little or no whole foods, while having high amounts of salt, sweeteners, and unhealthy fats …

Among adults, the mean percentage of total calories consumed from ultra-processed foods was lower in those with the highest family income (50.4% in those with incomes 350% or more of the federal poverty level) compared with the lower income levels (54.7% in those with incomes less than 130% and 55.3% in those with incomes 130%–349% of the poverty level). …

The top five sources of calories from ultra-processed foods among youth were sandwiches (including burgers), which contributed 7.6% of total calories, followed by sweet bakery products (6.3%), savory snacks (4.9%), pizza (4.7%), and sweetened beverages (3.9%) (Figure 4, Table 4). Similarly, the top five sources of calories from ultra-processed foods among adults were sandwiches (including burgers), which contributed 8.6% of total calories, followed by sweet bakery products (5.2%), sweetened beverages (4.4%), savory snacks (3.4%), and breads, rolls, and tortillas (3.1%). https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db536.htm accessed 07/05/26

Because the negative effects of UPFs 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–but science shows that 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.