IF YOU’RE LIKE us, you’re probably sick of hearing the maxim ‘you are what you eat’. Well, unfortunately you’re going to have to hear it again, as a new study has found a diet high in ultra-processed foods is associated with higher amounts of fat stored inside thigh muscles. Yes, you can call it a dirty bulk.
This is regardless of the amount of calories you consume or how active you are, which leads us to another well-worn piece of fitness wisdom: you can’t out run a bad diet.
The study, which was presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), also found higher amounts of intramuscular fat in the thigh could also increase your risk of knee osteoarthritis.
“The novelty of this study is that it investigates the impact of diet quality, specifically the role of ultra-processed foods in relation to intramuscular fat in the thigh muscles assessed by MRI,” said author Dr Zehra Akkaya.
In the study, researchers analysed data from 666 individuals who participated in the Osteoarthritis Initiative. They found the more ultra-processed foods people consumed, the more intramuscular fat they had in their thigh muscles, regardless of energy (caloric) intake. On MRI images, decline in muscle function was apparent in fatty degeneration of the muscle, “where streaks of fat replace muscle fibres,” says Dr Akkaya.
Of the 666 participants, the average age was 60 years. On average, participants were overweight with a body mass index (BMI) of 27. Approximately 40 per cent of the foods that they ate in the past year were ultra-processed.
Osteoarthritis is an increasingly prevalent and costly global health issue. But the findings potentially have implications even for those not yet at risk of the condition. Lean muscle is the goal for most of us who hit the gym. Eating ultra-processed food could make you weaker from the inside out. Bottomline: you are what you eat.
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