Dr. Nicole Saphier on ultra-processed foods in America: ‘People profit off addiction’

Ultra-processed food makers are under pressure, as a teen in Pennsylvania has launched a lawsuit against multiple food giants.  

Bryce Martinez, 18, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease at 16 after consuming ultra-processed foods throughout his childhood, is taking on 11 food manufacturers for allegedly engineering the foods to be addictive, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Between 5% and 10% of American children had non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) as of 2021, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK).

TEEN SUES FOOD GIANTS OVER ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS AFTER BEING DIAGNOSED WITH FATTY LIVER DISEASE

"NAFLD has become more common in children in recent decades, in part because childhood obesity has become more common," the NIDDK wrote on its website.

In a Sunday appearance on "Fox & Friends Weekend," Fox News medical contributor Dr. Nicole Saphier commented that these statistics are "shocking but not surprising."

"We’ve been watching this trend happen for the last decade or so," she said. "And while we have come to accept the fact that American adults tend to be overweight and have metabolic syndrome, pre-diabetes and diabetes, it’s now going into our children."

ULTRA-PROCESSED FOODS MAKE UP 60% OF AMERICA'S DIET, WHO'S AT BIGGEST RISK

This progression "makes sense," according to Saphier, as children often adopt the lifestyle choices of their parents.

"Those lifestyle behaviors, unfortunately, [are] now harming our children," she said.

The doctor agreed that "harmful consumerism" markets products that could gravely impact health, much like "big tobacco," alcohol and some pharmaceuticals.

"These all have addiction potentials," Saphier said. "They really feed on our natural dopamine pathways, which are the reward centers in the brain."

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"If the product is harming the actual consumer … is it working for the consumer or is it purely profit-driven?" Saphier asked. "Because the harsh reality is people profit off addiction."

In the case of Bryce Martinez, Saphier noted that "marketing is very aggressive, especially to our younger generations." But she also questioned – "where are the parents?"

"We also as individuals have to be holding ourselves accountable for some of this as well," she added.

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"Yes, there are aggressive and harmful marketing campaigns, there [are] disgusting chemicals in our food supply, especially what’s accessible to lower-income populations – but also we have to think of, as the individual, what are we choosing to do."

Fox News Digital’s Maria Lencki contributed to this report.