This podcast examines the accelerating global prevalence of chronic diseases, particularly Early-Onset Colo-Rectal Cancer (EOCRC), and its likely link to modifiable lifestyle exposures. The analysis spotlights a recent study that examined the consumption of ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) as a major potential risk factor for the development of EOCRC precursors. While the researchers did not find sufficient evidence to directly associate UPF intake with EOCRC, they identified a 45% higher risk of early-onset conventional adenomas—disease precursors—among the highest consumers of UPFs in the cohort. The study’s limited findings on actual cancer incidence may be due to participants being health professionals whose UPF intake was substantially lower than that of the average American, thereby supporting the overall hypothesis that avoiding these foods helps mitigate risk.

Podcast (~15 min)

Source: https://foodmedcenter.org/study-spotlight-take-away-with-chef-dr-mike-upfs-and-colon-cancer/

This podcast examines the accelerating trend of industrial food additives in the American food supply, citing a study that tracked household purchases between 2001 and 2019. This analysis reveals that over 60 percent of packaged foods purchased by consumers now contain these additives, often referred to as Markers of Ultra-Processing (MUPs), and that the average product shows an increase in the total number of additives over time. Specifically, the source highlights that categories such as frozen entrées contain an extremely high count of additives. At the same time, baby foods have seen significant growth in both sales and products containing three or more additives. This phenomenon is concerning because many newly introduced chemicals lack Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and have largely unknown health consequences, including potential links to disruption of the gut microbiota and direct cytotoxic effects. Effects demonstrated by commonly used preservatives.

This podcast examines the common belief that fasting negatively impacts cognitive function. The podcast discusses a meta-analysis of 63 studies that found no meaningful difference in cognitive performance between healthy, fasted adults and satiated adults, supporting the feasibility of short-term fasting. The authors caution, however, that children and adolescents may exhibit reduced cognitive performance when skipping meals, likely due to their still-developing brains. Overall, the data support the idea that fasting practices such as intermittent fasting (IF) and time-restricted eating (TRE) are safe for the average adult’s brain health, contradicting conventional wisdom.