New Delhi, April 15 -- and it is now showing up not just on bathroom scales, but inside the body itself.

A new wave of medical evidence is drawing a direct line between ultra-processed foods and the structural degradation of muscle tissue, a change that may be accelerating the onset of knee osteoarthritis and broader chronic disease. The implications are stark: what people eat is no longer just about calories or weight-it is reshaping the architecture of the human body.

The latest findings, published in the journal Radiology, rely on MRI imaging rather than dietary surveys alone, offering a rare, almost forensic glimpse into how ultra-processed diets alter muscle composition. Researchers analyzing 615 adults found that those consuming h...