\u201cThe [UPF] conversation made me think about how women are medicalised in so many different ways, but we don\u2019t talk about ultra processed food being involved,\u201d she explains. \u201cNo one was asking \u2018What about women?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n
That one question prompted her to begin her own research, resulting in her latest book, Ultra Processed Women.<\/p>\n
What are UPFs?<\/p>\n
UPFs are industrially processed foods that contain ingredients we wouldn\u2019t have in our kitchens or, as Milli says, \u201cfactory made food-like products\u201d. The level of ultra processing can of course vary (one product could have a single emulsifier, while another could be almost entirely additives).<\/p>\n
She says: \u201cI think we do actually all know what real food is when it comes down to the wire. Ultimately, if it\u2019s wrapped in plastic, made in a factory and contains ingredients you don\u2019t recognise on the back, then it is ultra processed food.\u201d<\/p>\n
Links between UPFs and women\u2019s health<\/p>\n
As for how UPFs affect women, Milli says the connections spun out in every direction. \u201cEvery time I started researching a new female health condition I would quickly find evidence to show associations between high UPF consumption and worsening of the condition.\u201d<\/p>\n
She first looked at the menstrual cycle and its adjacent states. In 2023, a meta-analysis<\/a> found that \u201ca diet rich in processed food was demonstrated to be associated with increased miscarriage risk\u201d. <\/p>\n The so-called \u2018soda studies\u2019 looked at soft drink consumption in pregnancy in 2010 and 2012 and found that there is an association between preterm birth and both artificially sweetened and sugar sweetened sodas. An increase in UPF consumption has also been associated with exacerbating PMS symptoms and the severity of menstrual cramps; while the severity of menopause symptoms<\/a> have also been associated with increased UPF intake.<\/p>\n Milli also looked at the conditions with which women are more likely to suffer, like autoimmune conditions \u2013 90 per cent of lupus patients are female, and a 2024 study found that a higher cumulative intake of UPF daily was associated with a 50 per cent increase in risk of developing lupus. <\/p>\n Ultra processed foods are also a potential culprit in the rise of inflammatory bowel diseases, of which Crohn\u2019s disease is more prevalent in women.<\/p>\n Milli also found a clear relationship between high consumption of UPF and dementia risk<\/a>, and \u201dthat replacing 10 per cent of UPF in your diet with an equivalent amount of unprocessed or minimally processed food could lower your dementia risk by around 19 per cent\u201d.<\/p>\n Women are also more likely to suffer with mental disorders like depression and anxiety, both of which are associated with UPF intake. One study found that participants who ate nine or more servings per day of UPFs \u2013 particularly those containing artificial sweeteners \u2013 had a 50 per cent greater risk of developing depression. One significant randomised control trial found that when people who were in treatment for moderate to severe depression changed their diets and ate fewer UPFs, a third met the criteria for remission.<\/p>\n Women are targeted by UPF marketing<\/p>\n And all of this is exacerbated, Milli says, by the ways that women are specifically targeted by UPF marketing. <\/p>\n \u201cWherever there\u2019s a female health problem [or concern], there\u2019s a market for all sorts of products,\u201d she says. This spans from targeting women with UPFs marketed as \u2018low fat\/low calorie\u2019 to specific products for specific concerns. \u201cThe most stupid example of that,\u201d she says, \u201cwas a big bar of chocolate being sold as \u2018menopause chocolate\u2019 by a health food shop, where the information on the back said you should eat one of them a day.\u201d<\/p>\n Even meals becoming easier to prepare has historically been sold to women as a solution for a woman\u2019s problem \u2013 the TV dinner or ready meal is a solution for the tired (and historically female) head of household.<\/p>\n Why do UPFs affect women\u2019s health?<\/p>\n Milli has several theories on why they could be impacting women\u2019s health: that our bodies aren\u2019t recognising the ingredients and are mounting an immune response; that it\u2019s due to the nutrients we are missing by not eating whole foods; that emulsifiers and other additives are causing specific problems; that it\u2019s affecting our microbiomes or affecting our hormones<\/a>. \u201cIt seems like it\u2019s probably a mix of all of these things, but it still needs lots more research to fully understand what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n For Milli, the process of learning about UPFs and all these associations has completely changed how she eats.<\/p>\n How to eat moving forward<\/p>\n There are certain foods that she now tries to not have in the house (flavoured yoghurts, snack bars, supermarket ice creams) and she does her best to avoid sliced bread (but \u201cwe still have it around sometimes because I\u2019ve got three kids, and two teenagers\u201d). She misses the convenience of shop-bought mayonnaise and stock cubes, but other than that there\u2019s no snack that she used to love and still now craves.<\/p>\n Milli later began exploring the shared ingredients in the cosmetics we use and the food we eat. \u201cI was so shocked to find that there were these overlaps between what I was putting on my face and what I was eating. I thought that was mind blowing. It\u2019s just another nail in the coffin for the UPF. It made me realise how unnatural it all is.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s changed how her family eats too. Recently she took her youngest to McDonald\u2019s for dinner, as a rare treat after a late sports game. She sat with her 11-year-old son with the food in front of them, and they both felt a bit grossed out. \u201cI didn\u2019t want to spoil it for him so I just went along eating,\u201d she explains, \u201cbut he then said: \u2018Mum, I don\u2019t think we should come to McDonald\u2019s anymore. I think this is really disgusting.\u2019 It stuck with me.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/SEI_257707601.jpg\")
Milli\u2019s book delves into her theories on why UPFs impact women\u2019s health so severely<\/p>\n