Processed foods have been found to be more dangerous for health than we earlier thought.

Frequent consumption of processed foods promotes obesity, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases. Recently, processed foods have also been implicated as promoter of autoimmune diseases.

The incidence of autoimmune diseases is increasing world-wide. In parallel, industrial food processing and food additive consumption is also on rise. Researchers have put forward an idea that upsurge in incidence of autoimmune diseases is linked to the increasing use of additives used in processed foods.

Let's have an understanding of how these food additives do the damage.

The surface of human intestine is made of epithelial cells. It is this single-cell lining that forms a barrier that separates the intestinal lumen from the host's internal milieu. Epithelial cells are held together through tight junctions which control the passage of macromolecules. These tight junctions also protect intestinal tract against invasion and colonization by bacteria, and thus prevent onset of the immune response.

When there is a problem with the tight junctions, the intestinal permeability increases which compromises the protective function of intestinal epithelia. The intestinal barrier becomes permeable to allergens, bacteria, and toxins; this activates the immune system of the body causing destruction of the body tissue and abnormal organ growth and function.

There is a defect in the functioning of the tight junctions in many autoimmune disorders including ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, celiac disease, inflammatory joint disease, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, type 1 diabetes mellitus, etc.

Researchers are of the opinion that common additives in processed foods including sugars, salt, emulsifiers, organic solvents, gluten, microbial transglutaminase, and nanoparticles disrupt the permeability of the intestinal membrane by bringing about transformation in tight junctions. This results in entry of foreign immunogenic antigens and activation of autoimmune cascade.

We guess, this gives us all a reason good enough to limit intake of processed foods in our diets and thrive on natural whole food diets.

For More Detail: http://www.vlccwellness.com/India/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/go-unprocessed-take-a-stand-for-your-health.pdf