Ultra-processed foods now make up over half of what many of us eat - and the health consequences are only just coming into focus. In this episode, we reveal what’s really happening inside your body when you eat these foods daily. Our guest is Dr. Andy Chan, a Harvard professor and leading expert on gut health and cancer prevention. He heads the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital and has published over 400 scientific papers.Dr. Chan breaks down the hidden links between UPFs, inflammation, and diseases like obesity, diabetes, and colorectal cancer. You’ll hear why some foods that look healthy on the shelf may be doing long-term damage - and how the gut microbiome plays a crucial role in the process.This is the research big food companies don’t want you to hear. If you care about what you and your family are eating, don’t miss this conversation.Unwrap the truth about your food 👉 ⁠Get the ZOE app🌱 Try our new plant based wholefood supplement - Daily 30+Follow ZOE on Instagram.Timecodes📚Books by our ZOE ScientistsThe Food For Life CookbookEvery Body Should Know This by Dr Federica AmatiFood For Life by Prof. Tim SpectorFree resources from ZOELive Healthier: Top 10 Tips From ZOE Science & NutritionGut Guide - For a Healthier Microbiome in Weeks Mentioned in today's episodeTrends in Adults’ Intake of Un-processed/Minimally Processed, and Ultra-processed foods at Home and Away from Home in the United States from 2003–2018, 2025, The Journal of NutritionUltra-processed food intake in toddlerhood and mid-childhood in the UK: cross sectional and longitudinal perspectives, 2024, European Journal of NutritionThe Healthfulness of the US Packaged Food and Beverage Supply: A Cross-Sectional Study, 2019, NutrientsUltraprocessed Food Consumption and Cardiometabolic Risk Factors in Children, 2024, JAMA Network OpenMaternal consumption of ultra-processed foods and subsequent risk of offspring overweight or obesity: results from three prospective cohort studies, 2022, British Medical JournalHave feedback or a topic you'd like us to cover? Let us know here.Episode transcripts are available here.