Chips, cookies and ice-cream...Many kinds of food that we like are ultra-processed (超加工). And you may be addicted to (上瘾) them, said a new study in the British Medical Journal.
What are ultra-processed foods (UPFs)? In short, you can’t re-create them in your kitchen. They are usually made in factories. They have long list of additives (添加剂)—some you may never have heard of.
The study looked into 281 other studies from 36 different countries and areas. It found that UPF lovers may strongly crave such food. If they stop eating it, they can feel very sad.
Why are UPFs addictive? Usually, natural foods are either high in carbohydrates (碳水化合物) or high in fat.
UPFs, however, are usually high in both. So, such foods can have more calories than natural foods.
Such foods also bring carbohydrates and fat to the gut (肠道) faster. Our body breaks down the fat from natural foods slowly. However, the body breaks down the fat in UPFs as soon as it reaches the stomach. This makes the brain create more dopamine (多巴胺). It makes you feel happier and want to eat more.
About 14 percent of adults and 12 percent of children are addicted to UPFs, said the study. They cause problems to people’s health around the world. Scientists are now calling for more attention to the UPFs.
【小题1】What do we know about ultra-processed foods?| A．They are actually not eatable. |
| B．We can find them in natural foods. |
| C．It takes a long time to cook them in kitchens. |
| D．They have many different kinds of additives. |
| A．Look for. | B．Run for. | C．Wish for. | D．Leave for. |
| A．The gut loves the carbohydrates in UPFs more. |
| B．UPFs arrive at the stomach faster than natural foods. |
| C．People feel happy when the body makes more dopamine after eating UPFs. |
| D．UPFs have dopamine which can make people feel happy. |
| A．Eating UPFs is a good way to become happy. |
| B．It is hard to give up UPFs on one’s own. |
| C．There will be more people addicted to UPFs. |
| D．People should eat less UPFs for health. |
