In 2019, [nutrition and metabolism scientist at the National Institute of Health] Kevin Hall conducted a study that has been cited by researchers all over the world. It is mentioned in scores of newspaper articles and books. The study is presented as the ultimate proof that ultra-processing does something to the food, that it causes obesity and lifestyle diseases.
There are two reasons why Hall’s study is so widely discussed.
One is that it is considered a good study, properly conducted with clear results.
The second reason is that the study stands quite alone.
Moreover, it is a fact that ultra-processed foods can also be healthy, Hall said.
He referred to the lunches he himself eats. They contain lots of fibre, whole grains, and vegetables. But they are processed so that they are easy to heat up in the microwave.
Hall refuses to believe that these ultra-processed lunches are unhealthy.
If it’s just the processing that makes us eat more of the ultra-processed food, then this should also apply to healthy breakfast cereals and wholemeal bread in stores. No, there must be something more.
…
Kevin Hall is now about to start a new, similar study. The aim is to find out why people choose to eat more calories of ultra-processed food.
They will test out a newer definition of food: hyper-palatable food, which can be translated as hyper-enjoyable food.
