According to a new study, foods have more in common with cigarettes than with healthy food and require stricter regulation.
Researchers from Harvard, the University of Michigan, and Duke University (USA) emphasized that ultra-processed products, like cigarettes, are designed to be addictive.
What led the team to this conclusion?
Ultra-processed foods (or products with ultra-high filtration processing) are widely available around the globe. They are often made using emulsifiers, artificial colors, and flavors, making them tasty and inexpensive.
These products are high in salt, , and fats, and thanks to preservatives, they have a long shelf life. Yet, they are extremely harmful to health. This category includes sugary sodas, instant soups, sausages, fast food items, and packaged snacks like chips and cereals.
Researchers noted similarities in the production processes of these products and , as well as the speed at which both affect the brain’s reward centers.
In their comparisons, the scientists used data on , nutrition, and health history. The team believes that marketing claims about “low fat” or “sugar-free” in ultra-processed products are similar to the advertising of cigarette filters in the 1950s. In practice, these “protective innovations” offer no real benefits.
Professor Ashley Gerhardt, a clinical psychologist specializing in addictions, shared that her patients have drawn similar parallels. One of them, for instance, said: “I feel addicted. I used to smoke cigarettes, and now I have the same craving for soda and donuts. I know it’s killing me; I want to quit, but I can’t.”
And while food, unlike tobacco, is essential for survival, the authors argue that this distinction makes such food even more threatening. People find it hard to separate themselves from the modern food environment, as reported by The Guardian.
Professor Gerhardt noted that consumers should be able to distinguish harmful ultra-processed products from other foods, just as buyers differentiate from other drinks.
Meanwhile, Professor Martin Warren, a leading food researcher who did not participate in the study, stated that while parallels can be drawn between ultra-processed food and tobacco, the authors risk “overstating” their comparisons.
The scientist also considers it important to examine whether the adverse health effects of ultra-processed foods are related to their composition or to the replacement of “whole foods rich in fiber, micronutrients, and protective phytochemicals.” According to Professor Warren, this will determine whether regulatory measures for ultra-processed food should be similar to those applied to cigarettes, or if the focus should instead be on improving the quality and standards of food processing and diversifying the food system.
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