Free Republic

People who eat lots of ultra-processed foods (UPF) may be at greater risk of dying early, a study in eight countries including the UK and the US suggests. Processed meats, biscuits, fizzy drinks, ice cream and some breakfast cereals are examples of UPF, which are becoming increasingly common in diets worldwide. UPFs tend to contain more than five ingredients, which are not usually found in home cooking, such as additives, sweeteners and chemicals to improve the food's texture or appearance. Some experts say it's not known why UPFs are linked to poor health - there is little evidence it's down...

So many people in the US are using and abusing laxatives that it’s caused a national shortage. Just like many health-related problems of today's world, the dwindling stockpiles of pooping pills can be explained by a mixture of terrible diets, questionable internet trends, the nation’s aging population, and strains on mental health. The US is currently experiencing a scarcity of polyethylene glycol 3350, the prime compound found in many big brand laxative products like MiraLAX and Glycolax Some pharmaceutical companies have even reportedly started building new factories, in part, to boost the production of the sought-after compound. Polyethylene glycol eases...