Aug 2, 2025
Story at-a-glance
- Eating more than 300 grams of ultraprocessed food per day significantly increases your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, regardless of your weight or calorie intake
- Just one extra serving of ultraprocessed food per day, such as a granola bar or soda, raises your diabetes risk by 4%, and the risk climbs rapidly with each additional serving
- Processed meats and sugary beverages are among the most dangerous categories, with deli meats increasing diabetes risk by 34% and sweet drinks by over 200% in some studies
- Many “healthy” plant-based products are actually ultraprocessed and loaded with inflammatory vegetable oils and additives that disrupt insulin function and gut health
- Cutting linoleic acid (LA) from your diet — found in vegetable oils in most ultraprocessed foods — is one of the most powerful ways to lower your diabetes risk and repair your metabolism