Diabetes Starts in the Grocery Aisle — Here's Why - AI Podcast

Dr. Joseph Mercola - Take Control of Your Health

Briana Mercola

Health & Fitness, Health, Alternative Health

4.6 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 2 August 2025

⏱️ 6 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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

Transcript

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0:00.0	Did you know that adding just one granola bar or soda to your day can raise your risk of
0:04.8	type 2 diabetes by 4%. Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. Stay informed with quick,
0:11.3	easy-to-listen summaries of our latest articles, perfect for when you're on the go. No reading
0:15.9	required. Subscribe for free at Mercola.com for the latest health insights.
0:20.9	Welcome to Dr. Mercola's cellular wisdom. I'm Ethan Foster, and today we're diving into how
0:26.9	ultra-processed foods are quietly rewriting your metabolism. I'm Alara Sky, and the new data on this
0:33.1	topic is eye-opening. Researchers reviewed the diets of more than 700,000 adults and discovered a
0:39.6	critical tipping point. Once you cross 300 grams of ultra-processed food each day, roughly the
0:46.0	weight of one fast food combo, your diabetes risk spikes dramatically. It isn't about how much you weigh.
0:53.0	It's about what those industrial ingredients are
0:55.3	doing to your cells. That 300 gram threshold equates to only a few common items, a sugary
1:01.4	breakfast cereal, a processed deli sandwich, and a can of soda will put you well over the line.
1:07.1	The study showed people in the highest intake group faced a 48% higher chance of
1:12.6	developing diabetes compared with those who ate the least, even after researchers adjusted
1:17.8	for total calories and body mass index. What's striking is how specific categories amplify
1:23.5	risk. Processed meats like deli slices and sausages push diabetes risk up by 34%. While sugary beverages
1:31.6	can send it soaring by more than 200% in some analyses, these products aren't simply high
1:37.1	in sugar or fat. They're loaded with additives, emulsifiers, artificial sweeteners, preservatives
1:43.6	that disrupt your gut, inflame your tissues,
1:47.1	and sabotage the way your cells respond to insulin.
1:50.3	And the danger doesn't plateau.
1:52.3	Each extra 100 grams of ultra-processed food adds about 5% more risk.
	...

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