Robert Lustig argues ultra-processed foods aren't real food because fructose blocks energy burning and bone growth while hijacking pathways that favor cancer cells. He says they should be treated as toxins.
Chapters
Ultra processed food is just cram filled with toxins of various sorts. In fact, ultra processed food is not food. What's the definition of food substrate that contributes to either growth or burning of an organism? Well, I've already shown you how fructose inhibits burning. Well, it turns out fructose actually inhibits growth. Also, my colleague at Hebrew University Jerusalem has actually looked at bone growth and it turns out fructose inhibits bone growth, inhibits skeletal growth, cancellous bone growth, trabecular bone growth, cortical bone growth. And we know from the cancer literature it actually hijacks growth to increase cancer cell formation, but doesn't occur in normal cells. So bottom line, if you don't contribute to burning and you don't contribute to growth, are you a food? Ultra processed food is actually not food. So if it's not food, what is it? Well, it's a toxin. So avoid the toxins. Avoid ultra processed food.