How our food has turned into rubbish

Philip Morris should be funding doctors who generate research on whether smoking harms you . . . [or that] tobacco legislation should be written by charities funded by British American Tobacco. Why should health policy be any different?” This culture persists. When the WHO sweetener story broke this week, I scanned the responses from various scientists. One comment stood out as very equivocal. A conflict of interest statement showed that the scientist had previously worked with the International Sweeteners Association. It was then that I reached for the salt. Ultra-elaborate people: Why do we all eat things that are not food? And why can’t we stop?

By Chris van Tulleken, Cornerstone Press , in Italy published by Vallardi, 384 pages. Anjana Ahuja is a science commentator

This is therefore a – very interesting – review by this doctor, which can be supplemented with this reading: consuming too much packaged food increases the risk of contracting cancer.

Obviously, the problem is not only in Anglo-Saxon countries but concerns the world: diabetes: over 1.3 billion patients expected in 2050. According to new models published in ‘The Lancet’, the burden of this disease will increase worldwide, aggravated by social and geographical inequalities and discrimination.

p..s.: despite the author’s jokes, the French have the same problems as the British. This can be seen by reading here: cancers: their incidence has doubled in France since 1990

According to data published on 4 July by Public Health France and the National Cancer Institute, the increase is mainly due to demographic changes. The other causes are related to lifestyles (alcohol, tobacco, overweight, etc.) and theenvironment.

Thefact is that there is an unexplained increase in cancer among millennials.

An increasing number of young people in the developed world are being diagnosed with the disease.

As far as the child population is concerned, we are among the European countries with the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity.

Everything is due to the factors already mentioned, including the ultra-processed food that has these characteristics :

high number of calories
few nutrients
addictive.

The only criticism that can be made of the commentator is that she did not take into account certain aspects of van Tulleken’s book. The medical popularizer, for example, links the production of ‘non-food’ (e.g. emulsifiers) to chemistry, with the manufacturer DuPont known to produce additives but also Pfas, which are at the centre of a groundwater pollution case that has caused a stir in the USA.

Ahuja also glossed over the link between food and the environment, which Tulleken points out very well, mentioning Nestlé in particular.

All the more reason to read this book, which I found enlightening.

I also mention van Tulleken’s book in this article.

On the topic you can also read :

Obesity kills more than guns in the US

Food: the deterioration in quality is confirmed

Consuming too much packaged food increases the risk of contracting cancer

Food: Nova classification (from fresh to ultra-processed) and lobbying by the food industry

Food ad Drug Administration USA: Bread casseroles will finally be taken off the healthy food list

Very interesting : USA, multi-million dollar lawsuit against Big Food. The famous law firm Morgan & Morgan (USA) has filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit against 11 Big Food giants – Coca Cola, General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft Heinz, Mars, Mondelēz International, Nestlé, PepsiCo, etc. – for procuring chronic illnesses (chronic diseases). – for causing chronic diseases (type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic hepatic steatosis, at the age of 16) to his client Bryce Martinez

Donuts or Doughnuts can now also be found in pastry shops in Albiate.