NewDelhi April 3 : Processed foods and fast foods are convenient, but too much or regular consumption of these foods can lead to people eating more than the recommended amounts of added sugar, salt and fat. Studies have linked consumption of processed foods including packaged breads, cookies, potato chips, bakery products, sugary cereals and chocolate, to an increased risk of a host of health problems, obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, cancer and depression. Now, a new rodent-based study led by researchers at Monash University in Australia has warned that eating processed foods can cause leaky gut syndrome, which in turn can increase the risk of kidney disease.
This is because heat-treated or processed foods are rich in harmful chemical compounds called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), said the study published in the journal Science Advances.
AGEs are added to enhance the flavour and aroma of roasted, fried, grilled and baked foods. According to the researchers, these compounds trigger a process called the Maillard reaction and switch on the body’s danger signals leading to an inflammatory response and chronic kidney disease, which affects 10 per cent people worldwide. The researchers also noted that consumption of processed food can increase the risk of all-cause mortality, diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer and gastrointestinal diseases. The saturated fats in junk foods can increase obesity, diabetes and hyperlipidaemia risk while the high salt content can raise blood pressure. High blood pressure can damage your arteries and lead to heart disease.
Processed food and heart disease
Eating ultra-processed foods can also make you prone to heart disease and an early death, two studies published in the BMJ in 2019. On study found 12 per cent higher risk of a heart attack, stroke, or other serious cardiovascular event for every 10 per cent increase in the amount of ultra-processed foods. The other study found that eating more than four servings of ultra-processed foods daily was associated with a 62 per cent higher risk of dying from all causes than eating only two servings per day. AstraZeneca’s anti-diabetic drug can now be used for kidney disease treatment in India
Processed foods aren’t just loaded with fat, sugar, salt, and calories, they’re also low in fibre, vitamins, and minerals that are essential for heart health. Preservatives and other additives in processed foods can also trigger weight gain, prediabetes and inflammation, which can in turn harm your heart.
How to dampen the harmful effects of processed foods
The researchers noted that eating foods that contain high resistant starch fibre such as oats, cooked and cooled rice, barley, bean and legumes such as black beans and peas, raw potato starch (as a supplement), cooked and cooled potatoes, can help restore gut health and improve kidney health. When these foods get down into your lower gut, they serve as food for your gut bacteria, which ferment the food-producing metabolites that are anti-inflammatory – explained lead author Melinda Coughlan, Associate Professor at Monash Central Clinical School’s Department of Diabetes.