The evidence is strong and growing that a diet that relies on processed foods – especially those classed as ultra-processed – will compromise your health. It could even make you more vulnerable to some of the leading causes of death across the globe.
Now, there is a body of research that suggests this affects men and women differently.
In this article, we explore this new gender-specific research, as well as some of the other recent findings on this crucial topic.
You will find more information about gut health and the way it impacts the proper functioning of your body elsewhere on this website. Just a reminder though, your gastrointestinal tract (gut) is sometimes referred to as a second brain. The thousands of microorganisms it contains – including bacteria and bowel flora – carry out a series of complex tasks to extract energy and nutrients from what we eat. It also communicates with the rest of our body via chemical transmitters, including our immune system and along our brain-gut axis.
New research techniques and technology have enabled us to start to build a better understanding of the incredible diversity of these microorganisms. As well as the roles they play and the way we can either support or hinder their work.
One group of researchers said: “The study of gut ecology has emerged as one of the most active and exciting fields in biology and medicine.”
Whole v Processed foods
So, what are ultra-processed foods?
Whole foods have been minimally altered, and will therefore have their nutritional values still intact. This will include the vitamins and minerals that break down when food substances are heated, extruded or overhandled.
Also, processed food often has additional elements to improve taste or shelf life. So, oil, salt, sugar, chemical sweeteners, and preservatives for example.
Ultra or highly processed foods are created by taking an element from nature and then changing it extensively. An example of this would be a mass-produced meal that does have some protein and vegetables. However, it has been cooked and frozen in production lines and contains a high proportion of added fats, sugars, salt, colours, flavourings, emulsifiers, and stabilisers.
The impact of eating processed foods
There have been numerous studies on the effect processed foods have on our health. Including ones that correlate their ability to increase sugar and fat intake. Also, their ability to contribute to obesity
A French research project (published in The BMJ) spanned five years’ worth of dietary records for 100,000 adults. Those who ate more ultra-processed foods had “higher overall cancer risk”.
Then, there is the possibility of processed foods causing inflammation in your gut. One study pointed out that: “Diet-induced inflammation-related processes could interfere with our biologically fine-tuned systems for nutrient sensing and energy balance and cause food cravings and hyperphagia (extreme hunger).”
The evidence that processed foods contribute to irritable bowel syndrome and general disruption to bowel flora that deal with human waste.
From this, you can see why processed foods are bad for your gut.
One group of researchers summed the issue up well.
“What should we eat? The question appears to have a rather simple answer provided by our evolutionary history: Eat mostly whole foods. This approach corresponds with findings from a wide range of nutritional studies where whole foods are consistently associated with good health.”
Gut health and gender
With all that said, do men and women have different dietary needs and responses, at the most fundamental level? A recent study suggested this is the case.
To support this, the researchers evaluated “human gut microbiota composition in normal weight, overweight and obese Spanish populations, taking into account the role of gender. “
The focus was on food consumed over one year and required that participants submitted faecal and blood samples, as well as undergoing various measurements of their body and lifestyle. This data was collected by professional nutritionists.
The results showed differences according to gender when similar amounts of ultra-processed foods were consumed. This included more cases of depression and anxiety, and growth in weight and hip circumference when women in the study ate 5 servings of highly processed food a day. The same level of intake did affect men in the study, but not in the same ways.
There were significant differences between men and women at the lower end of the study’s scale (three servings a day) too.
These differences between the genders were complex and involved the different types of microorganisms our guts contain.
Factors that may play a role
One of the things the study focused on was whether men and women ate different proportions of some types of ultra-processed foods.
For example, women were observed to have eaten more industrially processed meats. Whereas men consumed more alcohol and sugar-sweetened beverages than women did. Many other food types were broadly similar.
What also may be a factor is that women’s digestive health is linked to the oestrogen-gut microbiome axis. Basically, the way gut microbiota regulates their levels of the female hormone oestrogen.
Why this gender factor matters
This study concluded that the male and female gut does respond differently to diets high in processed foods. Particularly ultra-processed foods, though the difference in what foods they eat plays a role.
The authors argued that more detailed research is now important. This is particularly to help us to understand the causal links between diseases – and mental health problems – and gut microbiome.
Do men and women put themselves more or less at risk, due to which processed foods they favour, or how their gut works?
Clearly, certain types of ultra-processed foods and your general health in the first place could play a role in whether you are vulnerable to some of the globe’s most serious health issues.
Keep checking back on this site, for more guides to nutrition and health. Including advanced research into naturopathic ways to protect your physical and mental wellbeing.
Additional source: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/what-are-ultra-processed-foods-and-are-they-bad-for-our-health-2020010918605
