A new year calls for new promises. One resolution that can have a real impact on your health might just be committing to avoid ultra-processed foods. A recent Lancet study links UPFs to a range of health risks. CBC's medical columnist Dr. Melissa Lem tells us how UPFs can impact our health.

A recent study published in The Lancet has found that ultra-processed foods are linked to a variety of health risks, affecting nearly every system in the body. Dr. Melissa Lemm, a medical columnist for CBC, explains that these foods are characterized by long ingredient lists, additives, and are often factory-made, making them highly palatable and encouraging overconsumption.

The study notes that ultra-processed foods can increase the risk of conditions such as Crohn's disease, anxiety, depression, obesity, kidney and liver diseases, and even certain cancers. Dr. Lemm recommends cooking at home, adding fruits or vegetables to meals, and choosing healthier beverages as effective strategies to reduce intake of these foods.

Here’s how ultra-processed foods can be really harmful for your health

Well, if you are looking for a New Year's resolution that can have a real impact on your health, you might want to consider taking a closer look at the foods that you are eating. A recent Lancet study links ultra-processed foods to a range of health risks. And CBC's medical columnist, Dr. Melissa Lemm, is back after the holiday break. Thank you for being with us again, Dr. Lemm. Why don't we start by just talking about what are ultra-processed foods? Ultra-processed foods, Vineet, are a modern construct. They've only been around since about the 1980s, and in fact, about 15 years ago, a group of Brazilian researchers put together a classification about ultra-processed foods. And so, essentially, the further away a food is from its original state, the more processed it is. And some of those common features include having a long ingredient list with lots of additives and artificial flavours and colours, also using extracts of food, not the food itself, to make the products. These foods are typically made in factories, not in kitchens, and maybe worst of all, these foods tend to be highly palatable. They're designed to be that way, so they encourage us to over-consume them. So, if you open up someone's fridge and you take a look inside, what are some examples of that? Well, I have to admit, I've got an 11-year-old boy at home, so my fridge sometimes has some of these foods within it, but some of them include store-bought salad dressings, in fact, because they often have a lot of additives and emulsifiers, also frozen meals, sugary drinks like sugary pop and energy drinks, and also processed meat like bacon and hot dogs and sausages. The list goes on and on. And when we think about the health risks when it comes to ultra-processed foods, what does the study have to say about that? Well, you can probably imagine that foods that are high in saturated fat and salt and sugar are bad for your heart, but the health harms go far beyond that. In fact, this study shows that UPF can harm almost every system in your body. It can disrupt your gut microbiome and your gut-brain access, which can increase your risk of Crohn's disease, anxiety and depression. It can increase your risk of obesity, of kidney disease, liver disease, even asthma and wheezing. And maybe most alarming is that ultra-processed meat is classified by the World Health Organization as a Group 1 carcinogen in the same group as tobacco and asbestos because of its link to colorectal cancer. Wow. And you know, when you're shopping, it seems like it's hard to avoid these kinds of foods a lot. I mean, what are some tricks or hacks that you can give to eating better and avoiding these kinds of foods? Well, one of my recommendations is cook at home as much as you can. The research shows this is healthier for you and your wallet. Also, if you happen to be in a situation where ultra-processed food is the only kind of food available, add a fruit or a vegetable to it to reduce those harms. And in fact, frozen vegetables and canned fruit and vegetables that are low in salt and sugar can do in a pinch. And also, watch what you drink. Substitute that soda pop and the sweetened drinks for tea, coffee and water. And then just remember that it's also dry January, so try and reduce... Alcohol is good, too. Essentially, there's never the wrong time to reduce our ultra-processed food intake, and there's no better time than the New Year. So, I guess daily changes that can lead to bigger, better results over time. That's right.

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