Health Network》Eating ultra-processed foods increases the risk of diabetes and depression by more than 20%

2026/10/10 08:30

Eating too much ultra-processed food may increase the risk of diabetes, obesity and even depression. Schematic diagram, the characters in the picture have nothing to do with the news. (Picture taken from shutterstock)

[Health Channel/Comprehensive Report] Liu Haowen, director of the Verme Clinic, said in Threads "Dr. Liu Haowen" that everyone thinks that becoming fat, sick, or even depressed is because they "eat too much" or "have no willpower." A newly published large-scale medical study in September 2026 gave us a super counter-intuitive inspiration: the real killer may not be calories, but "what your food went through in the factory."

This study, which integrated huge data from nearly 9 million people around the world, found that eating more "ultra-processed foods (UPF)" not only increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity and diabetes by 23% to 24%, but most surprisingly, even the risk of "depression and anxiety" increases by 27%.

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Scientists have discovered that foods containing a large number of artificial additives and preservatives can destroy our intestinal flora and cause chronic inflammation throughout the body. They have been subjected to extreme industrial processing, losing fiber and vitamins, leaving only empty shells that can disrupt endocrine systems.

So shouldn’t we be able to eat anything? Experts emphasize that the "degree" of handling food is the key. Picking an apple from the tree, slicing it, or even pureeing it is just "light processing" and is totally fine. But if you turn it into an "apple flavored crisp" with a lot of artificial flavors and syrups, it becomes a metabolic landmine.

To get back to health, just pick out two or three ultra-processed foods that you eat every day, and start by replacing them with "original" or "minimally processed" foods. For example: swap out flavored sugary yogurt for sugar-free yogurt with frozen blueberries.