Eliminate Ultra-Processed Foods

Ultra-processed foods now constitute 58 percent of caloric intake in the US and contain multiple inflammation drivers including refined sugars, industrial seed oils, emulsifiers disrupting gut barrier integrity, and artificial additives activating TLR4 inflammatory signaling. A 2021 BMJ study of 22000 participants showed each 10 percent increase in ultra-processed food share of diet associated with 12 percent higher CRP levels. Replacing ultra-processed foods with whole food equivalents at equal calories reduces CRP by 20 to 30 percent in 4 weeks.