Eating ultra-processed foods makes your muscles weaker and more fragile

Ultra-processed food products are convenient to eat, and there is no denying that the combination of sugar, salt, and fat is extremely enticing.

These food items, from ready-to-eat meals to packaged snacks and soft drinks, not only appeal to our palates but also affect our brain’s reward system, thus leading us to crave more.

Yet have we ever stopped to think about what this convenience costs us in terms of nutrition?

Ultra-processed foods and muscular health

A fresh perspective has emerged from recent research that casts a shadow over the consumption of ultra-processed foods.

The study revealed that people who consume a diet with high levels of such foods tend to store more fat inside their thigh muscles. This occurs regardless of our calorie intake or physical activity.

What makes this study unique is its approach in analyzing the role of ultra-processed foods in muscle health.

But why focus on thigh muscles? This choice isn’t random. Higher amounts of intramuscular fat in the thigh could escalate the risk for knee osteoarthritis, which is a prevalent and costly global health issue.

Quality of diet, quality of life

The researchers, from the University of California, San Francisco, set out to assess the potential correlation between ultra-processed food intake and intramuscular fat in the thigh.

“This is the first imaging study looking into the relationship between MRI-based skeletal muscle quality and quality of diet,” said Dr. Zehra Akkaya, a researcher in the UCSF Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging.

The results were based on data from more than 600 participants who had not developed osteoarthritis and were part of the Osteoarthritis Initiative. The participants had an average age of 60, and an average BMI of 27, which is generally considered obese.

The disturbing news, however, was that nearly 40% of the food they had eaten within the past year was ultra-processed.

The researchers concluded that the more ultra-processed foods participants consumed, the more intramuscular fat they had in their thigh muscles, irrespective of their overall energy (caloric) intake or level of physical activity.

The onset of knee osteoarthritis

Furthermore, an intriguing correlation was observed – the fat in thigh muscles might be linked to the onset and progression of osteoarthritis in the knees.

“Research from our group and others has previously shown that quantitative and functional decline in thigh muscles is potentially associated with onset and progression of knee osteoarthritis,” said Dr. Akkaya.

“On MRI images, this decline can be seen as fatty degeneration of the muscle, where streaks of fat replace muscle fibers.”

With the muscle fibers in the thighs being replaced by fatty tissue, muscular weakening and degeneration may precede the onset of osteoarthritis.

Making smarter choices for better health

Until now, the approach to fighting osteoarthritis has focused on modifiable lifestyle factors such as sufficient exercise, a healthy diet, and obesity prevention.

But this study indicates that the consumption of ultra-processed foods may also be a modifiable factor in the prevention of this health condition.

“Since this condition is highly linked to obesity and unhealthy lifestyle choices, there are potential avenues for lifestyle modification and disease management,” noted Dr. Akkaya.

Understanding the relationship between ultra-processed food consumption and muscle composition can help us make better dietary choices, ultimately leading to enhanced musculoskeletal health.

Visceral fat and chronic diseases

The effects of consuming ultra-processed foods extend far beyond thigh muscles and the link to osteoarthritis.

A growing collection of evidence shows that these foods contribute significantly to the development of visceral fat – the fat stored around internal organs. Visceral fat is very closely linked with the prevalence of chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome.

Subcutaneous fat, by contrast, is metabolically inactive and cannot induce an inflammatory response that increases systemic disease.

Addictive nature of ultra-processed foods

Another issue is that ultra-processed foods affect the brain’s reward system, making us resistant to reducing the consumption of these foods.

The addictive nature of the high sugar, salt, and fat content rewires our brains to crave more of these substances, leading to overindulgence and a vicious cycle of poor dietary choices.

The researchers stress that the reduction of these foods in our diet could help in improving muscle composition, as well as overall metabolic and cardiovascular health.

This broader perspective reinforces the need to lower dependence on ultra-processed foods and move toward nutrient-dense, whole foods that align with both musculoskeletal and systemic health.

The study was described in a press release by the Radiological Society of North America.

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