Human Biology Is Ill-Equipped for Ultraprocessed Foods, Former FDA Head Says

The modern grocery store is a paradoxical place, filled with an abundance of food options that are both tantalizing and treacherous. Amidst the gleaming packaging and enticing marketing, ultraprocessed foods have insidiously woven their way into our diets, wreaking havoc on our metabolic health and contributing to an epidemic of chronic disease.

Former FDA head David Kessler warns that human biology was “never intended to handle” these foods. He notes that the consequences are not merely anecdotal; they’re statistical. For instance, 70% of Americans are either obese or overweight, and ultraprocessed foods – those with added preservatives, flavor enhancers, and other manipulations – now account for a whopping 50% of our calories and 60% of our children’s diets.

The issue runs deeper than just individual choices. The “generally recognized as safe” (GRAS) loophole, established by Congress in 1958, has allowed big food companies to flood the market with questionable ingredients without adequate government oversight. This backdoor has been hijacked by industry interests, permitting thousands of new additives into our food supply – estimates range from 4,000 to 10,000 unregulated substances.

The effects on our metabolism and health are nothing short of catastrophic: increased rates of type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes, hypertension, abnormal lipids, fatty liver, heart attacks, stroke, and heart failure. Kessler compares this crisis to the tobacco industry, which similarly manipulated consumers through nicotine levels and deception.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new dietary guidelines advising against highly processed foods are a crucial step in acknowledging the problem. However, as Kessler advocates for outright revocation of GRAS status for dozens of refined carbohydrates – unless companies can prove their safety and non-addictive properties – it’s clear that more drastic measures are needed.

Our own complicity is another critical aspect of this story. We’ve become accustomed to the convenience of ultraprocessed foods, losing sight of what constitutes real food. These products target our brain reward circuits, triggering overeating and depriving us of a sense of fullness. They’re not just empty calories; they’re toxic substances masquerading as nourishment.

In light of this mounting evidence, it’s imperative that we take a hard look at our food system. We need to ask ourselves: what does it say about our values when we prioritize convenience over nutrition? When we permit industry interests to dictate what we eat without transparency or accountability?

Ultimately, reclaiming control over our diets and health requires more than just government action or regulatory changes. It demands that each of us take responsibility for making informed choices and demanding better from those who regulate our food supply. Only then can we begin to unravel the tangled web of ultraprocessed foods that’s slowly destroying our collective well-being.