For one consumer, eating doughnuts is an obsessive habit.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I can’t even be in the same vicinity as … any type of doughnuts because I will finish a dozen all by myself. I’m a type 2 diabetic, so that could kill me \u2026 but for some reason I just can’t stop eating them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The American diet features an overabundance of processed foods, \u201craising concerns about their impact on health,\u201d said AMA President\u00a0Bobby Mukkamala, MD<\/a>, who joined nutrition experts for an AMA webinar to explore the etiology of these foods, and why it\u2019s difficult for patients to avoid overconsumption.\u00a0<\/p>\n In 2025, the AMA House of Delegates directed AMA to promote public awareness of the health risks of ultraprocessed foods. Additionally, the new\u00a0Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025\u20132030,\u00a0advises<\/a> consumers to avoid highly processed, ready-to-eat products. Nevertheless, it\u2019s a topic that continues to confound health experts.\u00a0<\/p>\n While most people have an idea of what ultraprocessed foods are, what does the term actually mean?<\/p>\n Is all processing bad? \u201cWhat do we know about these products and how they affect health,\u201d asked Dr. Mukkamala, an otolaryngologist who also is board certified in lifestyle medicine.\u00a0<\/p>\n The webinar, \u201cUnderstanding Processed Foods<\/a>,\u201d is available to watch on demand at the AMA Ed Hub\u2122. The AMA has designated this blended live and enduring material for a maximum of 1\u00a0AMA PRA Category 1 Credit\u2122.\u00a0<\/p>\n It was the second of four AMA Ed Hub \u201cHealthy Diet and Dietary Patterns\u201d webinars, all of which are hosted by Dr. Mukkamala. The last one to air is \u201cReducing Risk of Chronic Disease Through Diet,\u201d June 23, 2 p.m. CDT.\u00a0Learn more and register now<\/a>.<\/p>\n Why broad classifications don\u2019t work<\/p>\n While concerns about ultraprocessed foods have grown in both research and public health policy,\u00a0David\u00a0Ludwig,\u00a0MD, PhD<\/a>, said\u00a0the category may be too broad and imprecise to serve as a useful foundation for nutrition guidance.<\/p>\n The term \u201cultraprocessed foods\u201d is so imprecise, even the Food and Drug Administration doesn\u2019t know what it means, said Dr. Ludwig. He is a pediatric endocrinologist and researcher at Boston Children’s Hospital, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and professor of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health.\u00a0<\/p>\n Observational studies have linked ultraprocessed foods to a wide range of adverse health outcomes such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, cognitive decline, psychiatric and behavioral disorders, and total mortality. However, the quality of this evidence is graded low to very low, he said, citing concerns about confounding and inconsistency.<\/p>\n Dr. Ludwig also challenged Brazil\u2019s\u00a0Nova classification system<\/a>, which groups foods into several categories: minimally processed or whole foods; culinary ingredients like butter, olive oil, salt, sugar; combinations of group one and group two, and ultraprocessed foods.\u00a0<\/p>\n Nova\u2019s platform isn\u2019t anchored to health effects, but rather to whether ingredients or additives are traditionally used in home cooking. That can lead to what he described as \u201cnonsensical distinctions,\u201d allowing homemade sugary cornflakes while discouraging some high-fiber packaged cereals, or favoring artisanal white bread over some commercial whole-grain breads.<\/p>\n Rather than relying on a broad ultraprocessed label, Dr. Ludwig called for a more nuanced approach that evaluates how specific types of processing affect health, especially the refining of carbohydrates and the effects of certain additives. The new dietary guidelines may be controversial, but they got one thing right. \u201cThey don\u2019t use the term ultraprocessed. They use highly processed specifically as it relates to carbohydrates,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Related Coverage<\/p>\n