Thursday, April 16th 2026
Highly processed foods can change the structure of the body’s muscles, making them look like “marbled meat,” a phenomenon usually associated with quality steaks, but which in this case is a worrying sign of health.
A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed the thigh of a 62-year-old woman who got about 87 percent of her calories from highly processed foods. Instead of solid muscle, the scan revealed multiple layers of fat scattered within and between muscle fibers, CNN wrote.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images showing the thigh of a 62-year-old woman who got about 87 percent of her calories from highly processed foods
Researcher Zehra Akkaya of the University of California San Francisco explained that her diet consisted mostly of whole grains. ready meals, chocolates and sugary drinks.
“The diet of this participant consisted mainly of cold cereals, sweets such as chocolate or chocolate bars, as well as ordinary carbonated drinks or sweet drinks in bottles”, she said.
According to the new study, the presence of fat inside the muscles is a signal of serious health problems, especially in people who are at risk of osteoarthritis of the knee.
“It is worrying especially because these individuals, scanned at a time when they did not yet have signs of osteoarthritis, already showed poor muscle quality”, added Akkaya.
Highly processed foods are associated with weight gain, obesity and chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and depression. They can even shorten life.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 50 percent of the calories consumed by adults in the US come from these foods, while in children this figure reaches 62 percent.
The connection between muscle fat and knee pain is strong. Fat inhibits the regeneration of muscle fibers and weakens them, increasing the risk of osteoarthritis, the most common form of joint disease that affects about 375 million people in the world.
“The thigh muscles are essential for the stability of the knee, and any weakening of them increases the pressure on the joint, especially in overweight people,” said Akkaya.
Radiologist Miriam Bredella from NYU Langone Health has emphasized that this phenomenon it does not only affect the thighs.
“It is a process that occurs throughout the body, you will also see similar changes in the muscles of the legs, shoulders or abdomen”, said Bredella.
She added that muscles with fat are weaker and this is related to serious consequences.
“If you are in the hospital, muscle weakness prolongs your stay. If you have surgery, it is a negative indicator for the result”, she said.
The study, published in the journal Radiology, analyzed 615 people around the age of 60.
The results clearly showed that the more highly processed foods a person consumed, the more fat they had in their thigh muscles, regardless of the amount of calories.
“Throughout the study, the more highly processed foods a person consumed, the more fat they had in their thigh muscles, regardless of calories,” Professor Thomas pointed out. Link.
However, experts point out that this is a strong link, but not necessarily a direct cause.
What is known for sure is that lifestyle changes help. Exercise and healthy eating can improve muscle quality.
“It’s easier in young people, but it’s also possible in older people,” said Bredella.
To protect muscles and joints, experts recommend:
-Low-impact exercise such as walking, cycling or the elliptical machine
-Strengthening the muscles of the thighs, buttocks and legs
– Avoiding high-impact sports like basketball or tennis
As for food, according to experts, muscles need enough protein.
“Muscles need enough protein, but processed protein bars are not the answer. Many of them are full of sugar,” said Bredella.
Practical advice to reduce the consumption of highly processed foods is to read the labels and choose more natural products, add more vegetables, fruits, grains and legumes, replace sugary drinks with water and choose local restaurants instead of fast food.
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Source: prizrenpost
