Six things processed foods can do to your body - Watch slideshow!

You must have heard about the adverse effects of processed meat consumption and how it can increase your risk of cancer. Now, we'll tell you some scary truths about processed foods that you didn't know about.

Processed foods are convenient and this makes them more tempting to people who have a busy lifestyle as well as for those who don't like to cook. But, they are the main reason why people all over the world are getting fat and ill. Here are some things overconsuming of processed foods can do to your body:

Processed foods are often loaded with sugar in the form of corn syrup, fructose, glucose, sucrose, malt or maltose, honey, molasses, or nectar. Dubbed as 'empty calories', any type of this sugar has no nutritional value, but encourages you to consume even more calories.  

Processed food consumption is also linked to metabolic syndrome. A number of studies show that sugar in processed foods can have devastating effects on metabolism. Sugars are a form of carbohydrates which the body needs for energy, but can lead to several metabolic consequences when consumed in excess quantities.

While consumption of processed meat such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, and beef jerky, etc., has been dubbed as the culprit for cancer, processed foods can also raise your risk for developing colon cancer. Besides cancer and obesity, sugar consumption has been strongly associated with some of the world’s leading killers, including heart disease and diabetes.

Some common additives abundantly found in processed foods can damage or weaken the intestine’s resistance to bacteria, toxins and other hostile nutritional and not nutritional elements, which in turn increases the likelihood of developing autoimmune diseases with the most common ones being type 1 diabetes, lupus, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.

Processed foods are often loaded with trans fats or processed vegetable oils that are highly that are often hydrogenated. Not surprisingly, these fats contain excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids, which can drive oxidation and inflammation in the body. A chemical additive called emulsifiers, which are used to extend shelf life and help hold the shape or texture of processed foods increase the risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease, also known as Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis.

Diets high in processed foods are also linked to increased rates of anxiety and depression. That's because added sugars in processed foods can damage your gut, where the majority of serotonin production occurs. The chemical additives in processed foods can affect serotonin activity, which is an important mood stabilizer. Also, processed foods have no essential nutrients, which makes the body deficient in vitamins and minerals that are required for maintaining a healthy mental and emotional health.