Ultraprocessed foods

A New Theory of Obesity

“Ultraprocessed” foods seem to trigger neural signals that make us want more and more calories, unlike other foods in the Western diet

• By Ellen Ruppel Shell | Scientific American October 2019 Issue

Credit: Jamie Chung (photo); Amy Henry (prop styling)

IN BRIEF

• Many nutrition scientists blame overeating fats or carbohydrates for the world's obesity pandemic.
• But new research points to “ultraprocessed” foods such as chicken nuggets and instant soup mixes that dominate modern diets.
• These foods seem to distort signals between the gut and brain that normally tell us we are full, so instead people overeat.

Nutrition researcher Kevin Hall strives to project a Zen-like state of equanimity. In his often contentious field, he says he is more bemused than frustrated by the tendency of other scientists to “cling to pet theories despite overwhelming evidence that they are mistaken.” Some of these experts, he tells me with a sly smile, “have a fascinating ability to rationalize away studies that don’t support their views.”