A doctor has revealed on a popular podcast that a certain food could be deadlier than smoking.

Doctor Chris van Tulleken shared this shocking revelation on the Diary of a CEO podcast, hosted by Steven Bartlett - and it's likely something many of us are eating.

Dr Chris, a specialist in infectious diseases and a science presenter for the BBC, has a twin brother, Dr Xand van Tulleken, who is also a familiar face on the BBC, appearing on shows like BBC Morning Live.

Discussing his book Ultra-Processed People, Dr Chris stated: "For a very long time, we have been incredibly confused about what to eat.

"We've called the foods that harm us junk food and processed food - high fat, salt and sugar food. We've not had a way of labeling food even as a pandemic of disease taken over the world."

The doctor noted: "This is particularly true in low income countries and particularly true with low income people living in the UK.", reports the Mirror.

"So poor diet, which means a diet high and ultra processed foods (UPF), has overtaken tobacco as a leading cause of early death on planet Earth for humans, for the animals we farm and for wild animals."

This is "because ultra-processed food is produced by food system that is the leading cause of loss of biodiversity and the second-leading cause of carbon emissions and the leading cause of plastic pollution.

"So about 12 years ago, the definition was developed to describe a western industrial American diet. And it was done by a team in Brazil, and much of the best work on this stuff has been done by teams in Central and South America."

He mentioned that this is due to the fact that in countries like Mexico, Columbia, and Brazil, "obesity was essentially unheard of and within a decade, it went to being the dominant public health problem". There was a time when obesity was rare, but now, just 10 years on, "everyone would know someone who had an amputation for type two diabetes."

So what's changed? The doctor clarified: "The only thing that has changed was the influx of, broadly an American diet of industrial processed foods. The definition was invented in 2009/2010 and we've had a decade evidence now that is very clear that it is ultra processed food that is responsible, not just for pandemic weight gain and obesity, but also for a long list of other health problems, including early death."

He emphasised that UPFs are as addictive as tobacco, alcohol, gambling, and drugs for some individuals, with this assertion being supported by evidence. He also cautions against "nagging" people to quit eating junk food as a means to lose weight and improve health, stating it's counterproductive because it "pushes people towards doing things that are harmful and generally makes them more likely to do the thing you're nagging them about."

A study has concluded that a high intake of Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs) is linked to increased risks of chronic diseases and mental health disorders, stating: "High UPF consumption is associated with an increased risk of a variety of chronic diseases and mental health disorders. At present, not a single study reported an association between UPF intake and a beneficial health outcome. These findings suggest that dietary patterns with low consumption of UPFs may render broad public health benefits."

Further reinforcing these claims, another piece of research warns: "Higher UPF consumption was associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality risk, with multiple metabolic pathways playing mediating roles."

Reacting to a video, one YouTube user shared their personal transformation: "I cannot overstate how much Chris has changed my life in the space of just 5 months. In early June I watched a podcast in which he was a guest and he spoke about the same topic.

"Since the 6th June 2023, I've cut out ultra-processed food almost entirely from my diet. Initially I thought it'd be impossible to find foods without crap in it but it's actually been really easy. When I fancy a snack I have an apple or a few grapes, or some nuts. I have a variety of home cooked meals every night."

In the morning, they opt for natural choices, as the viewer explained: "For breakfast I have a 'full fat' natural yoghurt (containing just milk) and occasionally I'll have toast with organic jam or scrambled eggs on the weekend (bread sourced from a bakery).

"The home cooked meals aren't what people would consider particularly healthy (plenty of meat, cheese, starchy foods) and I've not cut down on portion sizes. In the last five months I've gone from 112KG to 99.9 KG (as of yesterday). The only other lifestyle change I've made is to take a one-hour walk every week day. Other than this, I've done no other exercise in the last 5 months whatsoever."

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