Are processed foods about to go the way of Big Tobacco?
In the 1990s, Dr. David Kessler, then FDA Commissioner, took on the Tobacco industry, reshaping how America viewed cigarettes forever.
Now, decades later, he’s set his sights on another target: the addictive refined sugars and starches at the core of ultra-processed foods.
Kessler has filed a citizen’s petition urging the FDA to strip these ingredients of their “Generally Recognized As Safe (GRAS)” status.
How did these highly addictive and metabolically disruptive ingredients slip through in the first place? Shockingly, a 2022 study found that nearly 99% of food additives were never vetted by the FDA at all—they were rubber-stamped by the food industry itself. (Talk about the fox guarding the henhouse).
With obesity, diabetes, fatty liver disease, and mental health conditions climbing, the question now is whether ultra-processed foods will finally face the kind of reckoning tobacco once did—or whether politics and industry will keep the status quo alive. We’ll be keeping a close watch as this story unfolds.
Expert Featured:
Dr. Bret Scher, MD, Baszucki Group Medical Director
@bschermd
Resources Mentioned:
6-Clear Signs You Might Have Food Addiction w/ Drs. Jen Unwin & Georgia Ede
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youtu.be/wm2Taih-wzI
Visceral Fat and the Chronic Health Epidemic w/ Dr. David Kessler
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youtu.be/cHGmkg30470
Petition: Requests that the FDA Limit the Exposure of Refined Carbohydrates used in Industrial Processing in order to Prevent Obesity, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular Disease in Children and Adults
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regulations.gov/docket/FDA-2…
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About us:
Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.
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