The #1 Most Dangerous Carb in the World

Berg emphasizes that industrial starch is not the same as the starch in whole foods. The processing strips it of fiber and nutrients, making it a 'naked' carbohydrate that digests instantly. He advises scanning ingredient lists for terms like 'modified food starch,' 'modified corn starch,' 'wheat starch,' and 'maltodextrin.' He notes that these starches are used as fillers in unexpected products like hot dogs, baby formulas, and gluten-free baked goods. Even organic products can contain them. The goal is to shift away from ultra-processed foods entirely, as they are built on a foundation of starch, sugar, and seed oils. He suggests using his app to quickly identify these components.

Berg mentions that he created the app to help people identify the three main harmful components of junk food: starch, sugar, and seed oils. By scanning a barcode, the app visually represents the proportions of these ingredients, making it easy to see how much starch is in a product. He encourages using it on foods in your pantry, refrigerator, and at the grocery store to become aware of the hidden starch. This tool aligns with his mission to educate on the dangers of industrial starch and seed oils.

Berg explains that starch is a chain of glucose molecules. In whole foods like potatoes, the bonds between glucose are strong and digestion is slower. Industrial processing mechanically grinds the starch into fine particles and chemically treats it, weakening those bonds. As a result, when consumed, the starch breaks down into glucose almost instantly, causing a blood sugar spike that surpasses even pure glucose. He notes that if you chew a piece of bread long enough, it becomes sweet as salivary enzymes break the bonds, but industrial starch requires minimal digestion. This rapid absorption overwhelms insulin response, promoting insulin resistance, fatty liver, and visceral fat accumulation. He emphasizes that the quantity consumed is far higher than sugar—starches make up 55-75% of ultra-processed food calories, while sugar is only 5-20%. Thus, the sheer volume and speed of glucose delivery make industrial starch the 'most dangerous carb'.

Berg lists specific chemicals: sodium trimetaphosphate, linked to kidney stress, vascular calcification, bone demineralization, and accelerated arterial aging; vinyl acetate, a possible human carcinogen; sodium hypochlorite (bleach), which is regulated as a carcinogen in water but not in food starch, and overexposure is linked to kidney stress and damage to enamel and mucosal tissues; and an unnamed chemical widely used in infant formulas that may disrupt mitochondrial function. He argues that the GRAS system allows these substances to be used without rigorous long-term studies, and that the cumulative exposure from a diet high in ultra-processed foods could be contributing to chronic disease. He notes the irony that bleach is regulated in drinking water but not in the starch that ends up in baby formulas and snacks.

Berg uses an example: a product with 16g total carbohydrate, 1g fiber, and 0g sugar leaves 15g of starch unaccounted for. He calls starch 'invisible' because it doesn't appear on the nutrition facts, only in the ingredients list under names like modified food starch, corn starch, or wheat starch. This allows products to be marketed as 'zero sugars' while being almost entirely starch. He argues that this hidden starch is 'extra damaged protein that clogs everything up' (likely a misstatement, he means damaged carbohydrate) and is directly responsible for diabetes complications, Alzheimer's plaques, and liver fibrosis. The only way to detect it is to read the ingredient list and recognize the various names for industrial starch.

Berg explains that very few people consume industrial starch alone; it's almost always paired with seed oils in snack foods. He provides examples: potato chips (65% starch, 30% oil), Cheez-Its (70% starch, 25% seed oils), cereals (80% starch, often with seed oils), bread (75% starch, 15% seed oils), pasta (starch with 15% seed oils), French fries (80% starch, 15% seed oils). He states that when these two are heated together, they create a 'toxic soup' that is 'deadly on your tissues.' He doesn't go into the specific chemical reactions (like advanced glycation end-products or lipid peroxides), but the implication is that the combination is far worse than either alone. This synergy, he suggests, is a major driver of the inflammation and metabolic damage seen with ultra-processed food consumption.

Berg cites statistics: young children consume 65% of calories from ultra-processed foods, including 55 pounds of industrial starch annually. Teenagers hit 70% of calories from these foods, equating to over 106 pounds of industrial starch. Adults are at 55% of calories, with 67 pounds of industrial starch. He notes these numbers are conservative. This means the average person is eating their body weight or more in industrial starch each year. He frames this as a major reason for chronic disease, given the metabolic and inflammatory effects he described. The sheer volume dwarfs sugar intake, reinforcing his argument that starch is the primary dietary culprit.