consumption of ultra-processed foods leads to advanced aging at the cellular level

[Amethyst]

Mine, too, on mother's side. All thin; all lived a long time. The problem is, they all died of dementia. I would much prefer dying younger, to living longer as a zombie.

This latter group includes most of my relatives, who have generally lived into their 90s.

 

[Amethyst]

Don't forget soft drinks, including diet ones. So many chemicals.

Home-made cookies and pastries, since they contain no preservatives, are slightly less poisonous than the kind that come wrapped in cellophane; but I keep a wary eye on amounts eaten.

But cookies, crackers and donuts seem almost poisonous to me, because of the ingredients.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Our downfall is processed cold cuts, ham, turkey mainly.

 

[tmm99]

Our downfall is processed cold cuts, ham, turkey mainly.

I hardly ever eat processed cold cuts, but I do enjoy bacon...

 

[sengsational]

The consumer reports just out had an article that makes one want to give up; pretty much every veggy we buy has high levels of pesticides. The worst, fresh or frozen: spinach, potatoes, green beans, kale, even summer squash, if imported. Those were bad if conveniently grown. Organic is not high in pesticides except for fresh spinach. But we can't get organic all the time. We get it when available, irrespective of the price delta.

On the fruit side, the offenders are peaches, cherries, apples, pears and blueberries. Plus imported strawberries. Organic are all low residue.

 

[OldShooter]

... She said a cup of blueberry flavoring will kill an elephant. ...

And a couple of cups of ethyl alcohol will kill a human. IIRC a gallon of water will too. None of that proves anything.

Danger lurks everywhere: https://www.dhmo.org/facts.html

Our downfall is processed cold cuts, ham, turkey mainly.

Hang in there. In a year or two the food police will declare these to be safe and desirable and people will have to stew about something else.

 

[Rianne]

The consumer reports just out had an article that makes one want to give up; pretty much every veggy we buy has high levels of pesticides. The worst, fresh or frozen: spinach, potatoes, green beans, kale, even summer squash, if imported. Those were bad if conveniently grown. Organic is not high in pesticides except for fresh spinach. But we can't get organic all the time. We get it when available, irrespective of the price delta.

On the fruit side, the offenders are peaches, cherries, apples, pears and blueberries. Plus imported strawberries. Organic are all low residue.

I think you'll have to grow all your own food. Does consumer reports want you to quit eating?

 

[Amethyst]

About 35 years ago, I gave up eating grapes (used to love the small yellow-green ones) when I bit into a couple, and my lips and the end of my tongue went numb! I could actually taste the pesticide, which obviously was some kind of nerve agent.

Yet, having had vegetable garden and fruit trees for many years in the past, I know just how hard it is to get much of a yield, without using pesticides. The first year, it's not so bad. Then pests, including insects, learn where the food is, and seem to pass it on through their generations. They just get worse and worse.

The consumer reports just out had an article that makes one want to give up; pretty much every veggy we buy has high levels of pesticides. The worst, fresh or frozen: spinach, potatoes, green beans, kale, even summer squash, if imported. Those were bad if conveniently grown. Organic is not high in pesticides except for fresh spinach. But we can't get organic all the time. We get it when available, irrespective of the price delta.

On the fruit side, the offenders are peaches, cherries, apples, pears and blueberries. Plus imported strawberries. Organic are all low residue.

 

[RAE]

. I think one should define processed better.

Here is a list of foods the authors of the study I cited earlier consider to be "ultra-processed". I would personally add a few more, especially something like the ultra-processed jug oils (corn oil, veg oil, etc). But I'm sure those oils are contained within several of the foods on their list.

Ultra-processed foods: Breads,Cakes, cookies and pies .Salty snacks .Frozen and shelf-stable plate meals .Soft drinks, carbonated Pizza (ready-to-eat/heat). Fruit drinks Breakfast cereals .Sauces, dressings and gravies Reconstituted meat or fish products Sweet snacks. Ice cream and ice pops Milk-based drinks Desserts French fries and other potato products Sandwiches and hamburgers on bun (ready-to-eat/heat) Instant and canned soups Other ultra-processed foods

 

[misanman]

Everything we eat is a chemical, right?

 

[harley]

As are we.

 

[sengsational]

I think you'll have to grow all your own food. Does consumer reports want you to quit eating?

I think they want to inform their readers so that intelligent decisions can be made. My post quoted the part about foods that were the worst offenders. I should have been more clear that organic, except spinach, came out as safe at any number of servings.

 

[Rosedala]

All that cutting, grinding, chopping and cooking sounds like a lot of work, but I guess it pays off for you. One thing that has happened in the US since I was a kid is that portion sizes have gotten much bigger. We now have easy access to large portion size meals that are tempting because they are ultra-processed.

I use my loyal food processor instead of slaving into chopping, cutting, etc. i agree that portions in restaurants AND online purchases have become much larger forcing one sometimes to throw away food....

 

[5Miler]

I find myself in agreement about the ultra processed foods. I was born and raised in West Virginia, living with either my grandparents or my Aunt on their farm. They grew most of their own food including livestock with maybe an occasional trip to the grocery about once a month. Breakfast was usually corn bread or biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon, fried apples and maybe pork chops on occasion. We ate well to fuel a long work day. Every member of the family was lean.

My Aunt is 92 and three of my Uncles are in their late 80's to 90. Smoking and booze got the others. One of my Uncles spent his 90th birthday pulling the engine out of a big Ford truck to rebuild it. When I see their kids (my cousins) they are almost all shall we say "fluffy". I don't know if it's lack of exercise (work) or just diet with these new fangled processed foods. I just know they are not doing well medically as a group. I see this reflected in the general population as well.

 

[augam]

In the U.S., the Seventh Day Adventists in Loma Linda live 10 - 12 years longer than the rest of the population, though they have many lifestyle differences in addition to avoiding processed foods -
"To make it to age 100, you have to have won the genetic lottery. But most of us have the capacity to make it well into our early 90’s and largely without chronic disease. As the Adventists demonstrate, the average person’s life expectancy could increase by 10-12 years by adopting a Blue Zones lifestyle."
https://www.bluezones.com/2016/11/power-9/

On the topic of longevity, science and diet, many universities do have departments dedicated to longevity science and diet is usually the main focus. Valter Longo at USC has a book out called the Longevity Diet, based on his research. He bases his recommendations on what he calls the five pillars of longevity, which include epidemiology, basic research on longevity, clinical studies, centenarian studies, and studies of complex systems (cars and planes). Interview here - https://news.usc.edu/135551/fasting-aging-dieting-and-when-you-should-eat-valter-longo/ .

Researchers have been studying long lived populations for decades, and have been conducting experiments on short lived animal species as well, like yeast and mice.

perhaps have the capacity to do so only 14% actually do.. Not great odds.

 

[Chuckanut]

I find myself in agreement about the ultra processed foods. I was born and raised in West Virginia, living with either my grandparents or my Aunt on their farm. They grew most of their own food including livestock with maybe an occasional trip to the grocery about once a month. Breakfast was usually corn bread or biscuits, gravy, eggs, bacon, fried apples and maybe pork chops on occasion. We ate well to fuel a long work day. Every member of the family was lean.

I have my own N=1 story about the disadvantages of the American diet. A friend of ours had a 16 year old exchange student from France stay with them for 6 months. When she arrived she was obviously at a healthy weight. A few weeks before she had to return home they found her in her room crying. She had put on nearly 20 pounds and was afraid of what her mother would say upon her return. She complained about looking like 'a sack of potatoes'.

About a year later the family visited France and dropped in on the exchange student and her family. She was back to her teenage shapely self. Must have been all that Foie-gras, duck confit, croissants and bagets.

 

[braumeister]

She complained about looking like 'a sack of potatoes'.

It's just a matter of how you look at it.

Potatoes, obviously, are lumpy and unattractive.

Mais, pommes de terre? Ah, très chic!

 

[JoeWras]

It's just a matter of how you look at it.

Potatoes, obviously, are lumpy and unattractive.

Mais, pommes de terre? Ah, très chic!

When I learned German, I learned the word Kartoffel. This word sounds too much like "cart apple," which has a specific meaning in English.

So, when in doubt, default to French for anything food related.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

perhaps have the capacity to do so only 14% actually do.. Not great odds.

I'm not sure I understand your comment. Not great odds on the standard American diet and lifestyle, or not great odds on a Blue Zone diet / lifestyle or did you mean something else?

The blood of those eating a plant based diet for a year suppresses cancer cell growth nearly eight times better than the blood from people eating an average American diet. A person's longevity odds depend somewhat on luck and genes but more so one one's diet and other controllable lifestyle habits.