Podcast: 'Ultra-Processed' Food Isn't Driving A Disease Epidemic

By Cameron English and ChuckDinerstein — Jan 08, 2026

In a strange turn of events, The Lancet—one of the world's oldest medical journals—has taken a line you might expect to hear from Robert F. Kennedy Jr., declaring "ultra-processed" food a driver of chronic disease. Is there any evidence behind this association, or are we just dealing with academic snobs who can't appreciate the benefits of convenient, abundant food?

Image: ACSH

Join Cameron English and Dr. Chuck Dinerstein on Episode 153 of the Science Dispatch podcast as they discuss:

Has The Lancet Given MAHA the Momentum It Needs?

The new Lancet Series on ultra-processed foods (UPFs) draws on decades of global data, mechanistic evidence, and more than 100 prospective studies to argue that UPFs constitute a dietary pattern actively displacing traditional food cultures and driving chronic disease worldwide. Yet the UPF/NOVA framework is itself contested, a point worth keeping in mind as the article advances its arguments.

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Cameron English

Executive Vice President

Cameron English is a writer, editor and co-host of the Science Facts and Fallacies Podcast. Before joining ACSH, he was managing editor at the Genetic Literacy Project.