Ultra-Processed Foods and Type 2 Diabetes Lawsuit

Consumption of ultra-processed foods is linked to serious health issues in children, such as Type 2 Diabetes.  

If your child was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes while under the age of 18, please contact us to learn more about making a claim.

 

What Are Ultra-Processed Foods?

Ultra-processed foods are industrially manufactured edible products that often contain additives and artificial ingredients to enhance flavor, extend shelf life, and, lawsuits allege, make them more addictive. These products typically contain little to no whole food, and they can contribute to severe health issues, especially in children.

Harvard Medical School’s Health Publishing describes unprocessed or minimally processed foods as “whole foods in which the vitamins and nutrients are still intact.” Some examples include fresh fruits, fresh vegetables, and unsalted nuts. These foods are either in or not far from their natural state. To make them safe and convenient to store, they may still go through basic processes like pasteurization, boiling, freezing, or drying. 

Meanwhile, processed foods contain added sugar, salt, or oil that change them from their original state. They usually have a few ingredients and include foods like freshly baked bread, canned vegetables, and fruits in syrup.

Highly processed or ultra-processed foods take it to another level. They frequently contain numerous additives, including sweeteners, preservatives, and artificial coloring. These foods are made from ingredients extricated from whole foods, such added sugars, hydrogenated fats, starches, artificial colors, flavors, and/or stabilizers. Some examples of ultra-processed foods include:

• Soft drinks
• Frozen meals
• Fast food
• Hot dogs
• Cereal
• Prepackaged snacks like baked goods and chips.

Ultra-Processed Food Health Impacts on Children

Researchers and medical professionals are concerned about the connection between ultra-processed foods and childhood health problems like obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Previously uncommon in younger populations, these conditions have become more common in the young in recent decades.

Ultra-processed foods are extremely addictive because they are designed to produce cravings and compulsive use. These foods can make up the majority of children’s meals and have supplanted traditional diets, which has resulted in an increase in associated health problems. According to JAMA Journal, children now get 2/3 of their energy from ultra-processed foods.

Since 1980, obesity rates have doubled in adults and tripled in children, and type 2 diabetes cases have tripled.

Ultra-Processed Foods and Type-2 Diabetes

Ultra-processed foods have been linked in a number of studies to an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes. For instance, a study that looked at the relationship between eating ultra-processed foods and Type 2 Diabetes in more than 100,000 French adults was published in JAMA Internal Medicine (2019).

Researchers discovered that a person’s risk of Type 2 Diabetes rose by 15% for every 10% increase in ultra-processed foods in their diet. Diabetes was substantially more likely to occur in participants who consumed the most ultra-processed foods than those who consumed the fewest. As a potential strategy for reducing the risk of diabetes, the study emphasized the need to reduce intake of ultra-processed foods.

Higher ultra-processed food intake was linked to an increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes, according to another study published in Diabetes Care. Similarly, a review published in BMC Medicine found a correlation between a higher risk of Type 2 Diabetes and diets high in ultra-processed foods.

The food industry still actively promotes and sells ultra-processed foods in spite of decades of research connecting them to major public health crises.

Contact Harding Mazzotti Today

If your child’s health has been impacted by ultra-processed foods and they have been diagnosed with type-2 diabetes, the lawyers at Harding Mazzotti, LLP are here to help. Click, Chat, or call 1800LAW1010 24/7 for a free case evaluation.