By MONICA KAYOMBO, Lusaka, Zambia
AS the World Marks World cancer today, a study conducted by scientists has revealed that Ultra-Processed Food (UPF) manufacturers are applying tobacco industry methods to drive over consumption. Regulators in various parts of the world have since been advised to look to tobacco control for policies to manage ultra-processed food’s impact on health.
Meanwhile, Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) Alliance Chief Executive Officer Katie Dain has also added her voice to the development that the cancer burden could only be reduced if Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) were reduced. Ms Dain observes that it is clear that tobacco, alcohol and UPFs have become drivers to multiple types of cancer.
“If we want to reduce the cancer burden, we also need to reduce the non-communicable diseases. It is indisputable that tobacco, alcohol and ultra-processed foods and air quality are major drivers of multiple kinds of cancer. The fight against cancer is to a large degree a fight against NCDs and prevention has to be vital,’’ she said.
Going to the newly released report by the Milbank Quarterly series, the article highlights how the design, marketing, and distribution of UPFs mirror those of industrial tobacco products. The authors, Ashley Gearhardt of University of Michigan, Kelly Brownell of Duke University and Allan Brandt of Harvard University, goes deeper, synthesizing global evidence on addiction science, policy regulations and public health history to trace the parallel paths of the tobacco and UPF industries in their quest to create addictive products.
The report says UPFs should not only be viewed as food but also as addictive like industrially engineered substances like tobacco. The article explains how, similar to the way that cigarettes are engineered to deliver nicotine quickly and trigger cravings. It says the manufacturers of UPFs deliver sugar and fats at doses high enough to maximize pleasure while minimizing aversive responses.
The other revelations by the study indicate that the manufacturers of UPFs accelerate the digestion of these sugars and fats by stripping fiber, protein, and water and adding enzymes that help break them down quickly. The article explains how the process is said to create a rapid rise in blood sugar, followed by a swift drop. And that this also includes the adding of extra ingredients for taste, smell, and texture to make the food more appealing, reduce feelings of fullness, and help it last longer on the shelf.
In addition, the packaging and wide availability of cigarettes and now e-cigarettes and UPFs make it easy to create a habit where it is often marketed as healthy with labels like “low-tar” or “smoke-free,” or “high protein” or “low fat.”
“Some ultra-processed foods have crossed a line,” Ashley Gearhardt, PhD, Clinical Science Area Chair and Professor of Psychology at the University of Michigan. “Products like soda, sweets, and fast food are engineered less like food and more like cigarettes optimized for craving, rapid intake, and repeated use. That level of harm demands regulatory action aimed at industry design and marketing, not individual willpower,’’ he said.
The method that was used synthesizes findings from addiction science, nutrition, and public health history to identify structural and sensory features that increase the addictive potential of both cigarettes and UPFs. The authors focus on five key areas of dose optimization, delivery speed, hedonic engineering, environmental ubiquity, and deceptive reformulation. This is according to the joint statement that was released yesterday by Milbank Memorial Fund and Vitale Strategies.
The Milbank Memorial Fund works to improve population health and health equity by collaborating with leaders and decision makers and connecting them with experience and sound evidence. Founded in 1905, the Milbank Memorial Fund advances its mission by identifying, informing, and inspiring current and future state health policy leaders to enhance their effectiveness; convening and supporting state health policy decision-makers to advance strong primary care and sustainable health care costs; and publishing evidence-based publications.
NCD Alliance Chief Executive Officer Katie Dain
