I Ate Ultra-Processed Food for 30 Days. The Results Shocked Me!

Ultra-processed food is the new cigarette—fueling a hidden global health crisis. In this shocking episode, Dr. Mark Hyman sits down with BBC’s Dr. Chris van Tulleken, who ate 80% ultra-processed food for 30 days in a real-time clinical experiment. Discover how UPFs hijack your brain, disrupt your hormones, and silently drive 32 chronic diseases. Learn why food labels lie, how the food industry manipulates us, and what science and policy are doing to fight back. A must-watch for anyone who cares about their health, kids, or the future of food. To find out what this food is really doing to us, Dr. van Tulleken became the first subject in a groundbreaking clinical trial—eating 80% of his calories from ultra-processed food for a full month. We unpack what makes ultra-processed food fundamentally different from real food—even when the ingredients look similar, and why its impact on your brain, metabolism, and long-term health is far worse than anyone thought… You’ll learn: How ultra-processed food hijacks your brain’s reward system The science behind food addiction and satiety hormones Why food labels and front-of-package claims are designed to mislead you What the latest data says about UPFs and 32 chronic diseases The global policy movements and lawsuits now underway to fight back This episode is part science, part exposé, and a wake-up call for anyone who thinks food is just about calories and willpower. If you care about your health, your kids, or the future of our food system, you need to hear this. This episode is brought to you by Seed, Fatty15, PerfectAmino, BON CHARGE, and Pique. Visit https://seed.com/hyman and use code 25HYMAN for 25% off your first month of Seed's DS-01® Daily Synbiotic. Head to https://fatty15.com/hyman and use code HYMAN for 15% off your 90-day subscription Starter Kit. Get pure essential amino acids today. Go to https://bodyhealth.com and use HYMAN20 to get 20% off your first order. Go to https://boncharge.com and use code DRMARK to save 15% on your PEMF mat today. Head to https://piquelife.com/hyman to get 20% off + a free beaker and frother today. View Show Notes From This Episode - https://drhyman.com/blogs/content/podcast-ep1025 Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman - https://drhyman.com/picks/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=shownotes Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journal - https://drhyman.com/longevity/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=shownotes #ultraprocessedfoods #nutrition #podcast (0:00) Introduction to ultra-processed foods and health implications (1:05) Introduction of Dr. Chris van Tulleken (2:14) Health conditions linked to ultra-processed food (2:57) Dr. van Tulleken's personal experiment and academic research (4:42) Largest randomized controlled trial on ultra-processed food (7:00) Brain changes due to ultra-processed food consumption (10:02) Investigating the healthiness of ultra-processed foods (13:09) Hazard ratios and health outcomes from ultra-processed foods (18:21) Defining and classifying ultra-processed foods (22:54) Evidence supporting the harm of ultra-processed foods (26:58) Economic and health impact of ultra-processed foods (27:49) Policy implications and challenges in regulating ultra-processed foods (32:37) Effective labeling and public health strategies (35:36) Industry pushback and taxation policies (39:17) Communication strategy and commercial determinants of health (45:20) Tackling ultra-processing tactics for public health (48:35) Exposing industry manipulation (55:19) Solutions to conflicts of interest in food regulation (57:58) Understanding and combating ultra-processed foods (59:03) Personal anecdotes on food industry retaliation (1:03:08) Societal impact of unhealthy diets and struggles with weight loss (1:05:02) Global spread of Western diet and health issues (1:06:27) Legal actions against food companies (1:09:14) Obesity rates and chronic disease landscape (1:10:32) Ultra-processed food policy implications (1:14:34) Global efforts in food policy and societal benefits