Tim Spector says ultra-processed foods are linked to diabetes, obesity and heart disease
Tim Spector says ultra-processed foods are linked to diabetes, obesity and heart disease
Health expert Professor Tim Spector says we are being tricked into buying the wrong foods and has compared the current state of diets in the UK to ‘passive smoking'.
Following publication of a recent study in the British Medical Journal, which linked high-fat, high-sugar food made in factories to 32 health problems, Professor Spector was invited to discuss ultra-processed food with the House of Lords Food, Diet and Obesity Committee.
Professor Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London said: "The UK is really the sick man of Europe because we have the highest percentage of our calories eaten in this poor-quality food that makes us overeat."
Recent figures suggest that 57 per cent of the UK’s diet is now ultra-processed, consisting of foods generally low in fibre, vitamins and minerals.
Professor Spector added: "I’m old enough to live through the passive smoking debates in epidemiology, where the initial studies were not that clear and the tobacco industry was sort of pushing back and saying, “we don’t really understand the exact dose that’s harmful for children”, and “don’t worry about it, it’s all very confusing”.
He said: "Given the evidence we’ve got, it’s very similar to where we were with passive smoking at that time."
Professor Spector blamed large food companies adding: "They have brilliant food chemists, they get the best people in the business, they recruit them, and their job is to make food as ultra-palatable as possible by tweaking the amount of fat, the amount of sugar and salt in exactly the right proportions that makes people overeat and their only aim is to make profit.
He added: "Their aim is to keep us eating more of this food because it’s much more profitable to make this kind of food than it is anything else. Parents buying their children something from the dairy counter are being totally misled into thinking they’re buying healthy foods. People are actually being misled into buying the wrong foods. And I think that’s something that we should absolutely do something about immediately."