A cardiovascular doctor with over 25 years of experience has issued a warning about everyday foods.
Heart surgeon Dr Jeremy London has expertise in recognising heart attack symptoms and shares his views on social media, after suffering a heart attack back in 2022.
When it came to himself, the health professional said he kept ignoring the signs.
In one of his latest YouTube videos, the medic based out of Georgia says what we eat today influences how our body behaves tomorrow.
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At the top of his danger list is ultra-processed foods, described as industrial products filled with additives, artificial ingredients, and little real nutrition.
Dr London says these foods are engineered for taste and convenience but can cause health issues.
“Ultra-processed foods are the industrially manufactured branded food products made from ingredients that are mostly of exclusive industrial use,” he explained.
These products contain 'little to no whole foods and designed to maximise convenience, palatability, and corporate profits', Dr London says, adding that 'in other words, your grandmother wouldn’t have these in her kitchen'.
He highlights that such foods are filled with additives, including: “High fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated oils, modified starches and cosmetic additives that enhance sensory appeal such as artificial flavors, colours, emulsifiers.
“Foods that are manufactured for shelf life, longer shelf life, hyper palatability and convenience.
“Packaged foods, packaged snacks, frozen meals, protein bars with additives, fast foods.”
Dr London goes on to cite research showing that 'for every 10 percent increase in ultra-processed foods that is consumed, there is a 10 percent increased risk in mortality'.
He claims that 'the longer the shelf life, the shorter your life'.
“Ultra-processed foods create issues with glucose or sugar metabolism in the body, increasing your hemoglobin A1C, which then consequently increases triglycerides,” Dr London adds.
“It increases full body inflammation and it disrupts the gut microbiome.”
Worse than smoking
NHS doctor Chris van Tulleken says ultra-processed foods have 'overtaken tobacco as the leading cause of early death on planet Earth'.
Speaking on Steven Bartlett's Diary of a CEO podcast in 2023, he said his twin brother Xand, who struggled with obesity, suggested to his doctor to treat it more like giving up smoking.
He drew comparisons with how smoking is treated via nicotine patches, adding: "Treating it as an addictive substance may be really useful for some people."
His advice is: "Don't forbid this stuff. Let yourself wallow in it and read the ingredients list while you eat.
"You'll realise all the food has the same flavour profile. It's equally salty and sugary and sweet. It's all acidic. And you will gradually become disgusted."
He said: "There is a decade of evidence now that is extremely clear that it is ultra-processed food that is responsible, not just for pandemic weight gain and obesity, but also for a long list of other health problems, including early death."
On what diet to switch to, BHF Senior Dietitian Victoria Taylor says: "We already recommend people adopt a Mediterranean-style diet, which includes plenty of minimally or unprocessed foods such as fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts and seeds, beans, lentils and whole grains. This, along with exercising regularly and not smoking, has been shown to be beneficial for lowering risk of heart and circulatory disease.”
Topics: Health, Lifestyle, Food And Drink
Anish Vij