#136 - Health Headline Highlights: Ultra-Processed Foods And Fertility

Ultra-processed foods are everywhere, but the latest research suggests they may be showing up in your fertility story too. Evan Patrick and Troy Duell dig into new studies linking higher ultra-processed food intake with lower odds of fertility for U.S. women and signals of reduced sperm quality for men. We also get specific about what “ultra-processed” actually means, how it differs from basic processed foods like yogurt or canned vegetables, and how to use a simple at-home rule to make smarter choices without panic.

COVID headlines make a lot of people tense up, so we talk through the CDC update on the BA32 variant with a steady, practical lens. We separate what’s known from what’s still unclear, then return to the fundamentals that reliably lower risk: handwashing, nutrition, exercise, and reducing chronic disease. If you’re tired of clickbait fear and want a grounded approach to immune health, this conversation is for you.

From there we zoom out to brain health and culture. We explore the idea that ADHD may be less of a “disorder” and more of a mismatch between certain brains and rigid environments, including why hyperfocus can be a real strength. We also unpack the science of complaining and how repeated negativity can reinforce stress pathways, then close with a hard look at medical cannabis for mental health. A large review of randomized controlled trials finds no evidence it effectively treats anxiety, depression, or PTSD, despite the popular narrative.

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Transcript

Welcome And Headlines Preview

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Today on the Frontline Health Podcast. They also found no solid trial-based evidence supporting its use for depression specifically. So unfortunately, for those who are big cannabis-aware people, these studies, 54 of them, have come out and said this is not a great way to do things. And overall, the study concluded that current evidence didn't support it for most mental health conditions. And for those that they said there may be some benefit, that there needed to be more rigorous research, and there really wasn't enough research to say definitively that it's going to help with autism or anything else, but that there could be an ounce of helpful in those conditions.

SPEAKER_01 1:07

Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Frontline Health Podcast by Centurion Health. My name is Evan Patrick. Troy Duell, founder and CEO of Centurion Health, is here with me as always. And we are excited today to be sharing with you the latest health headline highlights from the past month. Troy, how are you doing today? Good, Evan. How are you? I'm doing really well. Just a little bit alarmed by a few of these articles and some of the things we've already been talking about before we started recording.

SPEAKER_00 1:36

Yeah, it's kind of amazing some of the things that are out there and the things that caught our eyes and attention this last month.

Ultra-Processed Foods And Female Fertility

SPEAKER_00 1:44

And the first two really are kind of implicating our diet and how it affects infertility in particular. And it's kind of creating a mountain of evidence against our American diet as a whole. The first article is ultra-processed foods linked to infertility among U.S. women. Basically, they took this article that focused on a study that was published in the Nutrition and Health magazine, and it showed that there were consistent results that accounted for uh, sorry, that there are consistent results that accounted for infertility in women. It goes on to quote, it says very few studies have asked a fundamentally female-specific question: how does what women eat influence their reproductive health? Fertility is a huge outcome, and this is the first time anyone has examined these dietary patterns and infertility at this scale. This study used data from 2,582 participants, so not just a few people, in the United States National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The survey combined interviews, 24-hour dietary recalls, and lab tests to gather detailed information on health status, diet, demographics, and biomarkers. And what they found through that is that a higher intake of ultra-processed foods was associated with significantly lower odds of fertility in U.S. women, even after they had adjusted for obesity and lifestyle factors. So they separated as much as they could of the other factors that we know affect fertility, like obesity and smoking and other things, and found that when they pulled that out with just the diet, that these individuals who had ultra-processed foods on a regular basis in their diet, it affected their fertility rates. And this is on top of another article that we saw.

Male Fertility And Sperm Quality Signals

SPEAKER_00 3:47

It says, can ultra-processed foods reduce male fertility? New study explains. It was a study out of the Netherlands. They actually took 830 women and 650 men, and it suggested that high consumption of ultra-processed foods may negatively impact fertility, particularly in men. So this one they found a greater result and incident of infertility in men than they did in women, and found that it really affected the sperm quality of those men. Overall, they recommend that both male and female should follow a balanced, minimally processed diet as nutrition has definitely been shown to influence fertility outcomes and embrace or and early embryonic health.

Processed Vs Ultra-Processed Defined

SPEAKER_00 4:40

So, kind of the natural question that I had as I read both of those articles is what is ultra-processed food and what's the difference between that and what they call processed foods? And really it comes down to how that food is altered from its natural state and what is added to it. So processed foods are those foods that have been changed in some way kind of for preservation or convenience, but still really ultimately resemble the original ingredient. Great example will be canned vegetables, frozen fruit, uh, yogurt. Bread can even be one of those things. So the typical changes you see with processed foods are just cutting. So you're slicing the bread, you're cooking it ahead of time, you're freezing it, or you're adding salt, sugar, or some kind of oil. So it's still basically a real food. Ultra-processed foods, on the other hand, are kind of those super manufactured foods. They're made mostly from refined ingredients and additives rather than the whole foods. So great example would be soda, chips, candy, instant noodles, anything that is a packaged snack. And typically you're going to find those artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, sweeteners, anything else that they put in place. So probably the best way to tell the difference between the two. Processed, you could still make it at home if you wanted to. Ultra processed, you really can't do that at home. So there's no way I could make a Dorito, no way I could make a Coke or any of those other snack cakes at home, whereas processed foods you certainly could with bread or yogurt or something along those lines.

SPEAKER_01 6:21

Yeah. Thank you for putting a definition to that because we hear that all the time. Ultra processed foods, I mean, that everyone is talking about that right now, especially with things that you know Bobby Kennedy is doing, the FDA is looking into. But that is that's a really good way to distinguish it, right? Like you started scaring me when you start talking about the canned vegetables and sliced bread and stuff, but that's really not ultra pro the ultra-processed foods that we're talking about. It is processed because it has been, you know, changed in some way from its natural state, but at the same time, it's not really what we're talking about when we're talking about ultra-processed foods. And I like another way that I've heard uh Bobby Kennedy describe uh this as like food-like substances. So I've heard him him call like some of our fast food food-like substances. It's not really food, it's all of this um artificial stuff that has been packaged to something that looks like food and does have calories, uh, but it's not really giving us um many nutrients. And I think just to highlight, um, I think this just highlights where we're at kind of as a country right now, because I heard somebody put it this way we are the only uh country that that simultaneously has an obesity crisis and also a nutrient deficiency crisis.

SPEAKER_00 7:43

That's right.

SPEAKER_01 7:43

So we have many people walking around who are obese but also nutrient deficient. And so I think this is exactly telling us the reason when it when it comes to that. Um, but I don't want to stray too far away from from what you're actually talking about here, which is infertility. Um, and that's obviously something that we we talk a lot about. Um, you know, we have two prenatal vitamins, we work with OBGYNs um to help people on an individual basis. But when you start talking about something as big as ultra-processed foods, it really is impacting a super uh large number of people beyond just the individuals that we kind of help to address um specific fertility issues with on a regular basis.

SPEAKER_00 8:29

Definitely. And I I think you bring up a great point. It's fertility and infertility are so there are so many factors involved, and there are certain things we can control, like this, which is our diet, and just changing those little things, exercising more. But uh there are so many things that are out of our control, which is where supplementation comes in, testing, recognizing what you have, and then truly taking ownership of your health. And this is a a great way to help take ownership of your health, which is what we preach all the time. You know, get your diet under control, get the best diet you possibly can, and you will have a much better outcome, whether that's long-term health or in this case, fertility. So big, big studies to confirm what we've been saying and thinking for a long time.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

That's really good. Thank you for sharing that, Troy.

BA32 COVID Variant And What Matters

SPEAKER_01 9:25

Our next health headline for today, new COVID-19 variant found in 25 U.S. states, says CDC. The agency cautioned it's currently not clear whether BA32 can cause more severe illness or more significant impacts on the U.S. healthcare system. Um, this new variant has been detected in over 140 U.S. uh. samples across 25 states and in more than 20 countries, according to the CDC. Early evidence suggests it may evade existing immunity due to mutations, but it's still unclear whether it causes more severe illness or poses a greater threat to the healthcare system. The variant has been identified in travelers, patient samples, and wastewater and has shown notable spread in parts of Europe. However, it's not currently among the dominant strains in the U.S. where overall COVID-19 activity, hospitalizations, and related illnesses remain low. And the CDC emphasizes continued monitoring as variants with immune evasive properties could increase future case activity. The current public health impact remains manageable and declining. Troy, I don't know about you. Every time I hear COVID-19, I just kind of tense up a little bit, uh, probably a little bit traumatized from everything that happened back in 2020 and 2021. Is this actually something to be concerned about, or what are your thoughts on this?

SPEAKER_00 10:47

Yeah, I mean, I I think it is certainly something to keep your eye on and watch. The fact that COVID-19 is out there, we know that it is. I think it'll be out there, or I know that it'll be out there every year. It was out there every year before COVID-19 ever came up. So it's not not a surprise, not something that should shock any of us. But what we shouldn't do is really curl up in a ball in the fetal position and go, oh my gosh, this is the end of the world as we know it. But we should recognize it. We should take uh the proper precautions, which is make sure you're washing your hands, number one thing, and then take uh supplements that help eat the right diet and exercise. And if you're healthy, we know that COVID-19 was really minimally impactful amongst those who were healthy already. But if you had comorbidities, we know 95% of the people who died had four or more, four or more comorbidities, not easy for me to say apparently today, uh, on average. So these were unhealthy people. And if we can get that piece together and we can slow down that chronic disease in each of us individually by taking some ownership, then I think we are going to be much, much better suited to take on COVID-19 when we come across it. Because there's no doubt we will. Um, and I think again the flu this past season was much more detrimental to people's health than COVID-19 was.

SPEAKER_01 12:15

Yeah, I think a lot of headlines like this are kind of designed to make people despair. Um, I mean, that's what gets clicks on social media, and that's why uh we see stuff like this, even if it isn't like to that level where it's a major concern right now. Um, but yeah, you just highlighted something really important, which is like we can either despair when we hear of things like this potentially on the rise again, or we can do what we can do to make sure that it's not an issue for us, or at least give us the best chance possible to be in a good place um if our bodies do get it. So um so thanks for highlighting that. And um, and yeah, take ownership of your health.

SPEAKER_00 12:54

Yeah, and I I think it's a great article to to certainly highlight this month because it's something that's happening. It's something that people are hearing about. But again, just being aware is part of the strategy and make sure that uh you take the proper precautions.

Practical Precautions And Personal Health

SPEAKER_00 13:09

But this next article I thought was great when I saw the headline because I think it falls in line with a lot of the things we've said about individuals who have been diagnosed with ADHD before, um, and that we need to look for different ways to kind of use their skills. The the title was ADHD May Not Be a Disorder After All. Some experts argue modern classrooms and rigid expectations could be a mismatch for the way some brains are wired. And it goes on to talk about how ADHD is often misunderstood as a deficit, but in reality, it can have a lot of strengths to it, like creativity, hyperfocus, and cognitive flexibility is what they called it. And that these individuals can thrive when they're placed in the right environments

Rethinking ADHD As Different Wiring

SPEAKER_00 13:55

that suit their thinking style. And that it's really more about a different wiring than a flaw. And I think if we can come back to that and start to embrace that and maybe change some of the schooling and the other things that are in place and not over-medicalize things, if you will. I don't know if that's even a term, but uh don't over-treat them with a lot of medicine, but begin to look at what's going on with these kids and these individuals who have it and try to put them in the best situation possible where they'll they'll survive and thrive in society. And we use those uh characteristics to help us as a culture move ahead and become stronger as a culture by utilizing everybody's strengths instead of just a few, uh, which this article talked about how school really pushes a certain individual, and it those individuals thrive in that scenario while others don't. Um, and just a different way of thinking about ADHD and the things that come around it.

SPEAKER_01 15:03

Yeah, that's uh that's really good and super enlightening. Um I think I think when it comes to ADHD and attention deficits, you're right, like everyone's brain is wired uh somewhat differently. Everyone has different strengths, everyone has you know different giftings and different ways that they that they see the world and and learning to leverage that kind of as a strength I think is is super important. Um and it it also is interesting. We want to be able to put like a condition on everything. Um and I wonder how much of some of the issues that a lot of kids are facing are are you know not just due to a condition, but to you know, just the fact that our environment is designed to distract us in as many ways as possible. And if you don't have you know parenting or you don't have um you know people who are holding you accountable to certain things, or you're just not in an environment that you're designed to to thrive in, there are all kinds of reasons outside of just a medical condition as to why you may have trouble focusing. Um, one thing that I think is super interesting that this article kind of highlights is how ADHD can also include strengths like hyper focus, because that seems like the opposite of what someone with ADHD would be able to do. Um, my wife and I kind of joke about this because her dad is very ADHD, but he will hyper focus. He's an entrepreneur, he's a business owner. He has been able to hyper focus on certain things in his life that have caused him to be very successful, but then he will also bounce around kind of from from interest to interest. Um, and then my wife is very much the same way, you know, when you talk with people that you know, they're like, there's no way that she could be ADHD in any way, shape, or form. She can sit down for 12 hours and study medicine nonstop. I'm like, I could not, I could not do that. I could not sit down for 12 hours and study medicine nonstop. And she can. Yeah. And so I my personal opinion, I think that that her ability to hyperfocus might have something to do um with the way that that her brand is wired like that. And there are many other individuals who who kind of fall into the same category.

SPEAKER_00 17:14

It's very true. And I I know you taught for several years, but one of the things you see in kids who have ADHD is if there is something that they are truly, truly drawn towards and they like and love doing that activity, they can do it for hours upon hours. And you never you can't get anybody to to get them off of what they're doing. So I think you see it in kids, and then that grows up to the adulthood to what your wife's doing currently and your your father-in-law does as

Hyperfocus Stories And Classroom Fit

SPEAKER_00 17:46

well. So yeah, big, big time. Totally agree with that.

SPEAKER_01 17:50

Yeah, and and just one more thing before we move on. You mentioned that you know, classrooms uh aren't necessarily designed for kids like this to be able to thrive. I think that's huge, and I think that's super important. And and one of the things in the education world that is talked about a lot is kind of individualizing a kid's educational experience and kind of figuring out ways to, they call it different differentiating your instruction. Um, and there are a lot of challenges to that just because of the way that the education system is is set up, right? You've got one teacher with 30 or 40 kids in a room, crowd control kind of becomes priority number one for just for the sake of maintaining order um and being able to accomplish anything. And so I think figuring out ways to um you know kind of allow kids opportunities to learn the way that is best suited for them is definitely something that um that we need to think about.

SPEAKER_00 18:44

Absolutely.

Why Complaining Rewires The Brain

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Our next headline, the science of complaining, how it harms your brain, the habit of complaining can be broken, paving the path for a happier, more positive outlook on life. This article explains that while complaining may feel natural or even helpful, it actually trains the brain to focus on negativity. Repeated complaining reinforces patterns of rumination, increasing stress, anxiety, and negative emotions, while making it harder to regulate feelings and cope effectively. Over time, this habit can alter brain function, keeping stress hormones elevated and strengthening neural pathways tied to negative thinking. It may also impair decision making, emotional control, relationships, and even long-term cognitive health by reinforcing a persistent negative outlook. The article suggests that this cycle can be broken through awareness, reframing thoughts, mindfulness, empathy, and gratitude practices. By intentionally shifting focus away from problems and toward constructive thinking, people can retrain their brains for a more positive and resilient mindset. Troy, do you really think we needed a study to tell us that, or do we just need to look at some of the people around us?

SPEAKER_00 19:55

Uh, I think certainly we could have looked at people around us, or uh you could even look at you could go Old Testament and look at the Israelites when they were wandering in the desert, and all they ever did was complain, and not a lot of good came from their complaining. As a matter of fact, uh a whole generation lost the opportunity to go into the promised land. So we we should have known from history that it's not good, but you know, I've heard it talked about by several physicians that you kind of it's kind of like water in the brain. Once you start to develop that habit or that pattern, it continues to every thought then goes down that same place. So if you have a place where water runs all the time, it's hard for it to come out of that rut because it's stuck in there. And what you've got to do is you've got to start either narrowing that by changing your thought process and putting it in a different direction, or uh just stopping those negative thoughts altogether to retrain your brain and rewire it because it is such a natural tendency for all of us to complain. I mean, when it's hot, who of us doesn't come in and go, oh my gosh, it's so hot outside, which is a subtle form of complaining that it's hot outside and you're uncomfortable. Um, so uh that is surely or certainly one of the most natural things that a human does. Um, I guess that's why a baby comes out crying because it's complaining and we never stop.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

Yeah, that is so true. And that's a great analogy. Um, you know, a a small stream, like a river, can carve out a canyon. And like that is that is so true. It seems like this kind of compounds, the more that we have these negative thoughts, the greater that those problems seem to become. And I can even think of, you know, difficult times in my life, particularly um, you know, times of like where we're doing training uh with my National Guard unit in the summer or something. Some of the people in the military that I have come across are just the funniest, have just the the greatest sense of humor, um, and can turn something that is miserable into just like a great memory. And so Like I think going through times like that has really taught me positivity and just choosing to be grateful, choosing to not complain really is one of our greatest assets when it comes to our mindset.

SPEAKER_00 22:13

Definitely. And I think that applies to whatever we do in life. But uh super excited about this last article. We'll go ahead and roll to it because it is a good

Medical Cannabis Claims Vs Trial Data

SPEAKER_00 22:22

one. Now it may cause a little bit of heartache amongst some of the people who follow our podcast based on reactions that we had from previous episodes when we talked about health facts around cannabis. So here goes. The title is No Evidence That Medical Cannabis Alleviates Anxiety, Depression, or PTSD study. The review did find some evidence cannabis can help deal with certain conditions, including autism. So for those that are out there that complained about it, there there is just a slight glimmer in there. But they did a large review of 54 randomized controlled trials, and they found that there was no evidence that medical cannabis actually treated effectively anxiety, depression, PTSD, or several other mental health and substance use disorders. They also found no solid trial-based evidence supporting its use for depression specifically. So unfortunately, for those who are big cannabis-aware people, these studies, 54 of them, have come out and said this is not a great way to do things. And overall, the study concluded that current evidence didn't support it for most mental health conditions. And for those that they said there may be some benefit, that there needed to be more rigorous research, and there really wasn't enough research to say definitively that it's going to help with autism or anything else, but that there could be an ounce of helpful in those conditions.

SPEAKER_01 24:00

Yeah, this is so different from the mainstream narrative or maybe the popular narrative that we have heard when it comes to cannabis for years and years and years. A lot of people have been really big proponents. Um they've really wanted, you know, some of the regulation to be lifted and um for it to be to be more opened up. I mean, how did this how did this grow into such a popularized idea that cannabis was going to help with mental health and all of these different ways? And then we learn that it, you know, probably doesn't really help.

SPEAKER_00 24:31

Yeah, I mean, I I think you can trace it back to money. It's a a great opportunity for people to make a lot of money off of a new industry that's out there. Of course, it's not that new, it was just a black market industry, and they saw an opportunity. And unfortunately, a lot of times we see opportunities and we see money, and because of that, we try to support that with any way or in any way that we can. And the science and the data just don't seem to measure up with what uh we're being told from a culture standpoint. Uh, and I think a lot of that is hopeful on their part, that it's really doing something of benefit for them.

SPEAKER_01 25:11

Well, thank you for sharing that. Uh everyone, comment down below your thoughts about Troy after he shared this headline saying that cannabis is not going to help, uh, or probably not going to help with anxiety, depression, or PTSD. So um let us let us know your thoughts about Troy after sharing that one down in the comments below.

SPEAKER_00 25:30

Don't forget to share about Evan too. Equal opportunity uh on this.

SPEAKER_01 25:37

Well, that's awesome. Troy, anything else that you want to add um as we wrap up this episode? I think that's it for me. All right.

Takeaways And How To Follow

SPEAKER_01 25:47

Well, thank you so much for uh for listening to this episode of the Frontline Health Podcast by Centurion Health. As always, we want to encourage you to go out and take ownership of your health because you are your best health advocate. We'll see you next time. If you enjoyed what you heard today on the podcast, please consider subscribing and leaving us a review. We would love to hear your comments or questions about anything we've talked about on the show. For more health news, tips, and insights, follow us at Centurion Health on Instagram, Facebook, X, and YouTube. And for safe, effective, and affordable healthcare products made in the USA to help you elevate your health in life, visit centurion.health. We look forward to you joining us next time on the Frontline Health Podcast by Centurion.