The collapse of the food matrix: how ultra-processed foods impact satiety and metabolism by altering physical structure beyond nutrient composition
Xinna Wang, Hang Chen, Yan Xu, Qiaoli Xu, Hongtao Cui, Fang Liu · 2026
Read The collapse of the food matrix: how ultra-processed foods impact satiety and metabolism by altering physical structure beyond nutrient composition by Xinna Wang, Hang Chen, Yan Xu, Qiaoli Xu, Hongtao Cui, Fang Liu (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13185557.txt.
Description
Xinna Wang and co-authors argue that the deepest harm of ultra-processed food lies in its ruined structure, not just its nutrients. Their 2026 review notes that such foods push weight gain even when matched calorie for calorie against plainer fare. Their framework blames the collapse of the food matrix, the physical web that whole foods carry.
A soft matrix speeds eating and dulls the first fullness signals from the mouth. Nutrients then flood in too fast, muting gut hormones that should call a halt and straining the organs that manage fuel. The emptied matrix also starves gut microbes and stokes low-grade inflammation. The authors urge nutrition science and policy to ask not only what is in food, but what has been done to it.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Xinna Wang, Hang Chen, Yan Xu, Qiaoli Xu, Hongtao Cui, Fang Liu |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 46 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |