Ultra-processed foods like chips and soda are most commonly known as bad for people’s health—now research shows they are bad for the environment too. Obesity is often thought of as an individual problem requiring individual solutions. While personal eating habits are a factor, obesity is linked to larger systemic issues, such as what foods are available and how much they cost. Ultra-processed foods are foods that have been heavily altered from their natural state particularly those with excess sugars, salts, and harmful chemicals, are often the only foods available to vulnerable communities. Ultra-processed foods not only affect people, but they also food systems that create them also influence environmental changes.
George Mason University nutrition faculty Lawrence Cheskin and Raedeh Basiri explain the intriguing overlapping factors affecting the environment and obesity, and the role of ultra-processed food overconsumption. Cheskin is a physician specializing in dietary behavior change and Basiri is a registered dietitian whose work centers on chronic disease prevention.
Why is obesity considered a public health problem?
CHESKIN: Overweight and obesity are influenced by more than individual eating behaviors. Indicators of social vulnerability, including lower socioeconomic status, lower educational attainment, and younger age are strongly linked with unhealthy food consumption. Many communities are food deserts, where access to nutritious foods is limited. Unhealthy foods are sometimes the only options within a reasonable distance. Even if fresh fruits and vegetables are available, they may not be affordable for low-income families.
How do food systems affect the climate?
CHESKIN: Food systems produce approximately 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions, which experts agree are responsible for climate change. Land use, livestock production, agricultural practices, transportation, and modern food processing systems all contribute broad adverse effects on the environment.
Are plant-based diets better for the environment and people?
BASIRI: The issue is not the inclusion of animal-based foods in the diet per se, but their overconsumption, which drives intensive production systems that degrade the environment.
It is important to distinguish minimally processed plant foods from ultra-processed plant-based products and to clarify which are thought to reduce obesity risk. Many plant-based products—such as plant milks, plant-based meat alternatives, energy bars, and snack foods—are highly processed and can be more energy-dense than many animal-sourced foods. Simple calorie comparisons illustrate this: gram-for-gram, bread offers as much energy as lean meat, yet meat provides more protein per serving and, for many people, greater satisfaction, which is beneficial for weight control.
What are the potential effects of shifting to plant-based and alternative protein sources?
BASIRI: Proposals to substantially reduce or fully remove animal-sourced foods from the diet represent a major cultural and nutritional shift that may carry unintended consequences for public health. Populations are not uniformly ready for major dietary change, and current evidence is insufficient to determine how large-scale reductions in animal-source foods would affect intake of essential nutrients, as plants are limited sources of these nutrients. These uncertainties are particularly relevant for at-risk groups such as children, older adults, pregnant and lactating women, and individuals with chronic disease.
Given these uncertainties, until stronger evidence exists, it is prudent to emphasize minimally processed options and avoid assuming that climate benefits automatically translate into obesity benefits.
How can we address the obesity epidemic and food system-related effects on the climate?
BASIRI: Efforts to reduce ultra-processed food consumption must be accompanied by strategies that increase the availability and affordability of healthy foods, particularly for low-income populations.
Initiatives such as Food is Medicine—which emphasizes access to, and education about, nutritious foods—illustrate how multi-approach strategies can benefit at-risk populations. Emerging technologies, such as continuous glucose monitoring, may further support these efforts by allowing individuals to see the immediate harmful effects of unhealthy eating and potentially motivating healthier choices. Expanding these approaches to incorporate broader lifestyle supports, including mental health services and opportunities for physical activity, could further strengthen obesity-prevention efforts.
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MEDIA INQUIRIES: For reporters who wish to speak to Lawrence Cheskin or Raedeh Basiri, please email media contact Michelle Thompson at mthomp7@gmu.edu.
Lawrence J. Cheskin, MD, FACP has dedicated his career to addressing obesity, garnering research expertise in dietary behavior change, intervention treatment programs, and community-based participatatory research. He is a George Mason University Distinguished University Professor, the highest achievement attainable by university faculty. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed journal articles and written eight books on the problem of obesity, particularly studying underserved communities in the U.S. and abroad, digital weight management interventions, and co-occurrence of obesity and other diseases. He is a member of several clinical and nutrition-centered professional societies including the American Gastroenterology Association, the American Society for Nutrition, and is a fellow of the American College of Physicians, American College of Gastroenterology, and The Obesity Society. In addition, Cheskin is an adjunct professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine where he founded the Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center, a multidisciplinary clinical research and treatment program.
Raedeh Basiri, PhD, RN, is a registered dietitian and an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at George Mason’s College of Public Health. Basiri is a clinical nutrition researcher specializing in personalized nutrition therapy and the use of emerging technologies, such as continuous glucose monitoring, to improve outcomes in individuals with prediabetes, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Her work combines randomized controlled trials and large-scale data analysis to investigate how whole foods and dietary patterns impact insulin resistance, glycemic control, sleep, and both mental and gut health. Basiri takes a rigorous, interdisciplinary approach and is deeply committed to chronic disease prevention, collaborative research, and mentoring future professionals.
About George Mason University
George Mason University is Virginia’s largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls more than 40,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. In 2023, the university launched Mason Now: Power the Possible, a one-billion-dollar comprehensive campaign to support student success, research, innovation, community, and stewardship. Learn more at gmu.edu.
About the College of Public Health at George Mason University
The College of Public Health at George Mason University is the first College of Public Health in Virginia and a national leader in inclusive, interprofessional, public health research, education, and practice. The college is comprised of public health disciplines, health administration and policy, informatics, nursing, nutrition, and social work. The college offers a distinct array of degrees to support research and training of professionals dedicated to ensuring health and well-being for all. The college’s transdisciplinary research seeks to understand the many factors that influence the public’s health and well-being throughout the lifespan.
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