About this episode

Dr. Jacob May discusses the impact of ultra-processed foods on children's metabolism and health.

What's really happening inside your child's body when they eat ultra-processed food? In this episode, Dr. Vera Tarman sits down with Dr. Jacob May — mitochondrial researcher, registered dietitian, and Associate Professor at Pennington Biomedical Research Center — to explore the cellular and metabolic consequences of a diet dominated by ultra-processed foods, particularly in children. Dr. May leads the Mitochondrial Energetics and Nutrient Utilization Laboratory, where his team investigates how dietary patterns shape metabolism at the cellular level. He's a keynote speaker, precision nutrition researcher, and practicing clinician — and his insights here are both science-forward and refreshingly practical. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why mitochondria can't tell the difference between a McDonald's burger and organic beef — and why that still matters What phytonutrients and zoonutrients are, and why ultra-processing strips them out How ultra-processed foods drive insulin resistance through a damaging feedback loop Whether children are more resilient or more vulnerable to the effects of UPFs — and why the answer is complicated What the research actually says about saturated fat…

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Vera Tarman

Guest: Dr. Jacob May

Topics covered

• ultra-processed foods
• children's metabolism
• mitochondrial research
• insulin resistance
• nutrition science

Keywords

• ultra-processed foods
• metabolism
• children
• insulin resistance
• mitochondria
• nutrition

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Pennington Biomedical Research Center

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