New Delhi, Aug 30
Even a small amount of ultra-processed foods can lead to increased weight, hormone disruption, and poor sperm quality in men, finds a study.
An international team of scientists has now discovered that people gain more weight on an ultra-processed diet compared to a minimally processed diet, even when they eat the same number of calories.
The study, published in the journal Cell Metabolism, in humans also revealed that a diet high in ultra-processed foods introduces higher levels of pollutants that are known to affect sperm quality.
“Our results prove that ultra-processed foods harm our reproductive and metabolic health, even if they’re not eaten in excess. This indicates that it is the processed nature of these foods that makes them harmful,” said lead author Jessica Preston, at the University of Copenhagen's NNF Center for Basic Metabolic Research (CBMR).