Studies follow one another to confirm the harmful effects of junk food on health. This new survey reveals why ready meals and junk food are detrimental to our good health. In fact, processed products, and more particularly junk-food, would have particularly high concentrations of “PAMPs” (for pathogen-associated molecular patterns), according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Nutrition, Metabolism & Cardiovascular Diseases. PAMPs is not yet another remix of American rapper 50 Cent’s hit. PAMPs are molecules derived from pathogens (bacteria, viruses, fungi, parasites) and which therefore promote inflammation and the risks cardiovascular.
Researchers at the University of Leicester (England) carried out a study with 24 healthy participants, with an average age of 38, to understand the link between consumption of PAMPs and risks cardiovascular.
The participants had for 7 days a balanced diet, rich in fiber, low in fat and low in PAMPs. Then for 4 days, the volunteers had to eat 2 meals rich in PAMPs. Blood tests were done to examine biomarkers.
Another group of volunteers first consumed homemade fresh onion fritters, then for two weeks a balanced diet, then industrial onion fritters rich in PAMPs.
Junk food increases cardiovascular risk
The study recalls that industrial and processed foods and dishes as well as junk food contain a significant amount of PAMPs.
It also confirms the health effects of a balanced diet low level of these molecules. Indeed, a diet low in PAMPs for 7 days reduced the levels of certain markers of inflammation. The researchers observed that the white blood cell count was reduced by 12%, the rate of cholesterol of -0.69 mmol / l, and even body weight and waist circumference decreased (- 0.7 kg / -1.6 cm).
Conversely, junk food promotes these markers. The white blood cells go up by 14% and the waist circumference by 1.2 cm.
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