The typical American diet is full of bad processed stuff, so people try extreme diets to fix it.

Chronic consumption of ultra-processed foods, refined carbohydrates, and added sugars drives systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, and dyslipidemia, prompting maladaptive dietary counter-reactions.

Eating lots of ultra-processed foods is linked to having several chronic diseases at once, feeling weaker, living with less quality of life, and having long-lasting body damage — especially in older people.

Processed foods often contain artificial sweeteners, chemicals to make them smooth, and toxins from packaging, which might interfere with how your body regulates hunger and fat storage.

Eating a lot of ultra-processed foods, like packaged snacks and sugary drinks, might increase your chances of getting type 2 diabetes by about 37% over time.

People who already have kidney problems or are older are more likely to be harmed by eating ultra-processed foods than healthy younger people.