Does Ultra-Processed Food Cause People to Lose Their Minds?

Looking for some naturally fast food? Minimally processed, but exquisitely prepared? Delicious, but not hyper-palatable? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration would like to help. According to Stat News, the agency is looking hard for ways to regulate ultra-processed food. It leaves us wondering if ultra-processed food can cause people to lose their minds.

It certainly brings us some scrambled logic.

Thin Evidence, Great Passion

These bogeyfoods inspire a lot of passion in food policy advocates, but the definitions are slippery and it is tough to come up with a deep evidence base to support regulation that will bring more benefits than problems. Stat reporter Nicholas Florko writes:

“Two FDA officials, Haider Warraich and Robin McKinnon, met multiple times in February to discuss regulating these edible industrial creations, such as sodas, prepackaged cookies, and most breakfast cereals. Nutritionists suspect these manufactured foods increase people’s risk for a variety of chronic diseases, though as of now, there is a dearth of rigorous research to back up those claims.”

Just Do It

In the minds of folk who already know ultra-processed food is a dire threat, the preoccupation with evidence is a huge annoyance. One of these advocates, Jerold Mande, says the solution ought to be simple. FDA should just do it. Stat reports that he advised FDA Commissioner Robert Califf to announce FDA intends to regulate these bad foods and then invite food companies to help write the regs.

Easy peasy. Next problem?

Click here for Florko’s reporting, here, here, and here for further perspective.

Leon Naturally Fast Food, photograph by Ted Kyle / ConscienHealth

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July 16, 2024