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Wednesday 23 November 2022

'Non-nutritive components of ultra-processed foods are likely causes of widespread gut issues'

This is quite a long read but (I thought) an interesting one and I've only shown the first part, see link below for the full article.

"Ultra-processed foods as a possible culprit for the rising prevalence of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) are chronic inflammatory disorders of the gastrointestinal tract, and the exact pathogenesis is still unclear. It is believed that IBD develops in response to a complex interaction between the microbiota, environmental factors, and the immune system, in genetically predisposed individuals. Identifying these environmental factors will offer more insight in the development of the disease and reveal new therapeutic targets for IBD patients.

One of the environmental factors that has gained more interest over the last years is our diet. The prevalence of IBD has increased significantly and this increase is thought to be associated with a ‘Western diet', characterized by high intake of fats, added sugar, meat, and ultra-processed foods (UPFs).

The UPFs now account for almost 50% of the energy intake in Westernized countries and are therefore an important characteristic of this Western diet. UPFs are characterized by higher amounts of salt, fat, sugar and the presence of different food additives.

Epidemiological studies have found associations between UPF intake and a range of non-communicable diseases, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Preclinical and clinical evidence suggest that non-nutritive ingredients and additives, present in UPFs, can negatively affect different components of the intestinal barrier, such as the microbiota, the mucus layer, the epithelium, and the immune cells in the lamina propria. Disruption of this barrier can cause the immune system to encounter an increased bacterial exposure, leading to an aberrant immune response. 

In this article, the available evidence on the possible role of UPFs and their components in the increasing incidence and prevalence of IBD is reviewed. These findings can be translated to the clinic and may be helpful to consider when giving dietary advice to IBD patients. A better understanding of the role of UPFs may lead to less restrictive diets for patients with IBD, hence increasing the dietary compliance and efficacy of exclusion diets."

More to read here
h/t Marks Daily Apple here


Please note that articles within this blog are provided for general information only and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. If you have any concerns about your general health, you should contact your local health care provider.

All the best Jan

18 comments:

Tom said...

...good to know.

Teresa said...

Siempre interesantes. Besos.

The Happy Whisk said...

Gut health is so important.

My name is Erika. said...

Interesting. Ultra-processed foods can cause lots of issues I think. You are what you eat, right?

happyone said...

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

Christine said...

Makes sense

J.P. Alexander said...

Uy es terrible hay que cuidarse te mando un beso.

magiceye said...

Interesting. Thanks for sharing.

William Kendall said...

Good information.

Margaret D said...

Interesting Jan.

Elephant's Child said...

I am not surprised.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I am a vegetarian, but I am trying to tailor my eating habits around the Mediterranean diet. Thanks for this information, Jan.

eileeninmd said...

Thanks for the info, it is good to know.
Take care, enjoy your day!

Jo said...

An interesting article.

Dewena said...

I have family members who struggle with this. Saving the article I clicked on and made notes. I was listening to a podcast yesterday about seed oils and they said, Are they trying to kill us? You have to wonder if the producers of processed food are trying to do exactly that.

baili said...

Impressive as always dear Jan .Thank you for sharing.
Ultra processed food are great threat to health specially new generation

Magaly Guerrero said...

Happiest weekend and upcoming Holiday Season to you!

Conniecrafter said...

It is amazing how many things we pass off as food that is not good for us at all, but we get hooked on them.