Ultra‑processed foods (UPFs) are linked to harm in every major organ system in the human body and raise the risk for 12 diseases, including Type‑2 diabetes, obesity, depression, and heart, kidney and gastrointestinal conditions, a three‑part series in The Lancet has revealed. The series also calls for greater industry regulation and increased public awareness.

Describing the high consumption of UPFs as a “seismic threat” to global health, the 102‑year‑old medical journal notes that UPFs are rapidly displacing fresh food in the diets of children and adults on every continent, replacing fresh and traditional home‑cooked meals. The driving force behind this shift, it says, is corporate profit.

“This rise in ultra-processed foods is driven by powerful global corporations who employ sophistic

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