Eating a lot of junk food might make your gut leaky, letting bad stuff from bacteria get into your blood and cause body-wide inflammation, which can lead to long-term health problems.

Processed foods may harm the good bacteria in your gut and make your intestinal wall leaky, allowing toxins to reach your liver and cause inflammation.

Eating a lot of processed foods may change the good bacteria in your gut in ways that make it harder for your body to manage weight and blood sugar.

Eating a lot of ultra-processed foods might change the bacteria in your gut, which could lead to stomach and bowel problems that cause inflammation.

Eating a lot of packaged junk food might be linked to stomach and gut problems like serious diseases or ongoing discomfort, according to studies that watch what people eat and their health.

Eating a lot of highly processed foods might lower the good bacteria in your gut, raise the bad ones that cause inflammation, and could lead to health problems like diabetes or heart disease.