Ultra-processed foods correlate with higher BMI and obesity across countries, independent of whether they're high in fat or carbs. The Diet Fit study found real food diets work better. Two mechanisms: fructose damages metabolism, and lack of fiber drives inflammation.
Chapters
Processed food increases BMI. No surprise. In Europe, okay, 19 countries, the percentage of ultra processed food consumption correlates with the percentage of obesity and also correlates with mortality rates as well, for exactly the same reason. Now, a lot of people say doesn't matter if it's high fat or high carb. Okay, the Diet Fit study done by Christopher Gardner at Stanford ultimately showed the exact same effect, except that all of them, both the high fat and the high carb diet he gave was a real food diet. So I'm not so concerned about the fat or the carb as I am about the degree of processing, because processed food is high in sugar, low in fiber, high in sugar for palatability, low in fiber for shelf life. The problem is the fructose in the sugar causes the metabolic damage. The lack of fiber in the processed food causes the inflammatory damage.