Landmark study reveals ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS drive weight gain, harm male fertility in weeks

By avagrace // 2025-09-04

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A new controlled study challenges the "calories in, calories out" model, proving that the ultra-processing of food – not just its calorie content – directly harms metabolic health and reproductive potential.
Men consuming a calorie-matched ultra-processed diet gained significantly more weight (over three lbs. in three weeks) than those on a whole-food diet, with the weight gain primarily being body fat.
The ultra-processed diet caused a decrease in follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), a critical chemical for sperm production, raising a major red flag for male reproductive health.
The diet also negatively impacted cardiovascular health (cholesterol ratios, blood pressure) and introduced potential endocrine disruptors like phthalates, while decreasing levels of beneficial minerals like lithium.
The study demands a critical reevaluation of nutritional guidelines, moving from a focus on isolated nutrients to the wholesomeness of food and underscores the imperative to prioritize whole, unprocessed foods.

A new controlled study reveals that the very nature of processed food, not just its calorie count, is a direct threat to men's metabolic health and reproductive potential. Scientists from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark designed a rigorous experiment to isolate the effect of food processing itself. They recruited 43 healthy young men and provided them with every single meal for two separate three-week periods. Their findings were later published in Cell Metabolism on Aug. 28. The diets were perfectly matched for calories, carbohydrates, protein and fats. The only difference was their composition: One diet consisted of 77 percent ultra-processed foods, mirroring the average American intake, while the other was comprised of 66 percent whole, unprocessed ingredients like fruits, vegetables and lean meats. (Related: America's silent killer: How ultra-processed foods dominate our diets and fuel disease.) For years, public health messaging has largely revolved around a simple equation: Calories in versus calories out. But this study suggests that this model is dangerously incomplete – and the results were stark and rapid. Men consuming the ultra-processed diet gained substantially more weight. Those on a calorie-appropriate regimen gained an average of 3.1 pounds more, while those intentionally overfed by 500 calories a day gained 2.9 pounds more compared to their counterparts on the whole-food diet. Crucially, this weight gain was primarily driven by an increase in body fat. This outcome indicates that the body metabolizes a calorie from a chicken breast differently than a calorie from a processed chicken nugget. The unprocessed diet seemed to promote a more efficient metabolism, even leading to weight loss in some participants, while the processed diet prompted the body to store more energy as fat. Perhaps more alarming were the findings related to male reproductive health. The study detected a decrease in levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) in men on the ultra-processed, high-calorie diet. FSH is a critical chemical messenger that instructs the testes to produce sperm, and a decline in this hormone can be a precursor to fertility problems. This alarming discovery occurs against a deeply concerning historical backdrop: A documented global decline in sperm counts of approximately 60 percent since the 1970s. This trend coincides perfectly with the global rise in consumption of ultra-processed foods.

Chemical contaminants and metabolic havoc

The study uncovered further evidence of harm beyond weight and fertility. Men on the processed diet showed decreased levels of lithium in their blood and semen, a mineral with potential importance for mental health. They also exhibited trends toward increased levels of phthalates, industrial chemicals used in plastics that are known endocrine disruptors and can leach into food during processing. The processed diet also negatively impacted cardiovascular markers. It increased the ratio of bad to good cholesterol in the normal-calorie group and raised blood pressure in the overfed group. This suggests that these foods can assault metabolic health from multiple angles simultaneously. Ultra-processed foods in a man's diet significantly increase the risk of developing colorectal cancer by nearly 30 percent, as per Brighteon.AI's Enoch engine. Furthermore, these foods contribute to serious health issues like obesity, heart disease, diabetes and even early death. The implications of this research are profound for public health policy and individual choice. It proves that the damage caused by ultra-processed foods is not merely a consequence of overeating. The industrial processing itself, the additives, the altered food matrices and the potential for chemical contamination create a product that the human body is ill-equipped to handle healthily. The conclusion is a powerful return to the most fundamental nutritional advice: Eat real food. For men concerned with their long-term health and fertility, the evidence now suggests that avoiding the convenience of ultra-processed foods is not just a matter of managing weight – but of safeguarding the body’s most critical systems from harm. Watch Roman Balmakov of Epoch TV revealing six popular ultra-processed foods in the American diet that people should stop eating immediately. This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

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Chemical contaminants and metabolic havoc

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