- Ultra-processed foods are those that have undergone significant levels of industrial processing and modification during preparation and contain only small amounts of whole foods., If any.
- A recent study shows that the consumption of ultra-processed foods by mothers during the child-rearing period was linked to an increased risk of being overweight or obese in their children during childhood or adolescence.
- These findings suggest that women of reproductive age should limit their intake of ultra-processed foods to reduce the risk of overweight and obesity in their children.
Childhood obesity is a major health problem and is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes later in life. The prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity was almost twenty% in the United States between 2017 and 2020, which represents about 14.7 million children and adolescents.
A new study published in BMJ shows that higher levels of maternal intake of ultra-processed foods during childhood and adolescence was associated with an increased risk of being overweight or obese in their children between 7 and 18 years of age, regardless of the children’s consumption of ultra-processed foods.
“Our research highlights the importance of a mother’s diet not only in her health but also in the health of her children. Until now, we have tended to focus on dietary advice for middle-aged and older adults to reduce the risk of chronic disease. This clearly shows that we need to encourage healthy eating throughout life.”
— Dr. Andres Chanstudy author and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School
“From a public health standpoint, we also need to emphasize access to healthy food for households to reduce the epidemic of childhood and adult obesity,” said Dr. Chan. Medical news today.
“We must also understand that one of the manifestations of social disparities in health is not only differential access to health care, but also differential access to healthy and minimally processed foods. This requires deliberate and thoughtful policy making that addresses not only the basic human right to food, but also the right to healthy food,” he added.
Until recently, public health guidelines for the prevention and treatment of obesity generally emphasized the importance of maintaining healthy eating patterns. These approaches promote the consumption of certain foods, such as whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables, and fish, while limiting the intake of other foods, such as saturated fat, sugar, and sodium.
The obesity epidemic has been accompanied by a steady rise in the consumption of highly processed foods around the world. Furthermore, studies have shown that the consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This has led to the rise of an alternative public health strategy that emphasizes limiting ultra-processed foods rather than nutrient intake.
Ultra-processed foods are foods that have undergone significant industrial processing and modification, and therefore contain only a small amount of whole foods. Therefore, ultra-processed foods tend to contain food additives such as preservatives, emulsifiers, stabilizers, and sweeteners that are not normally used in home cooking. These foods are generally ready-to-eat or require little preparation and have a long shelf life.
Due to the industrial manufacturing processes used to make these types of foods, ultra-processed foods are generally very tasty, inexpensive, and high in calories, sugar, salt, and saturated fat. Some examples of ultra-processed foods include mass-produced bread and bakery products, ready-to-eat meals, packaged sweets, desserts, and snack foods.
Several studies have consistently shown that the consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with overweight and obesity in adults and children. In addition, studies have shown that the mother’s diet during pregnancy and even during childhood and adolescence, that is, during the childbearing period, can influence the risk of obesity in the offspring.
These studies have examined the association between maternal adherence to specific dietary patterns, such as board diet, or the quality of the diet consumed by the mother and the risk of childhood obesity. However, research specifically examining the link between maternal consumption of ultra-processed foods and the incidence of obesity in their children during childhood and adolescence is lacking.
In the present study, researchers used data from mother-child pairs to examine the impact of mothers’ consumption of ultra-processed foods during pregnancy and child-rearing on the development of obesity or overweight in their children during pregnancy. childhood or adolescence. .
The present study used data from mothers enrolled in the Nurses Health Study II (NHS II) and their children participating in the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS I and II)The NHS II is a longitudinal study examining risk factors associated with chronic illness in nurses aged 25-42 years at enrollment.
GUTS-1 and GUTS-11 are longitudinal studies involving children of NHS participants aged 7 to 17 years at enrollment, with the aim of examining the long-term impact of diet and exercise on weight of an individual.
The researchers used data collected from lifestyle and health questionnaires that were administered regularly during the three studies. This included data from food frequency questionnaires, which were used to assess the average daily consumption of various ultra-processed foods.
The researchers tracked 19,958 mother-child pairs for an average of 4 years to analyze the association between maternal consumption of ultra-processed foods during child-rearing and the development of overweight or obesity in their children between the ages of 7 and 18. old.
They found that mothers’ intake of ultra-processed foods during the child-rearing period was associated with an increased risk of being overweight or obese in their children during childhood or adolescence.
The researchers then divided the mothers into five groups based on their daily consumption of ultra-processed foods during the childbearing period. They compared the risk of being overweight or obese between these groups after adjusting for maternal risk factors, such as physical activity levels, energy intake, body weight, socioeconomic factors, and offspring-related factors, such as alcohol consumption. ultra-processed foods, sedentary time and levels of physical activity.
Children of mothers who consumed the highest levels of ultra-processed foods during the childbearing period had a 26% increased risk of becoming overweight or obese.
Among different types of ultra-processed foods, maternal consumption of ultra-processed bread and breakfast items was associated with an increased risk of obesity or overweight in offspring.
The researchers then examined the impact of ultra-processed food intake during pregnancy. They analyzed data from dietary assessments covering a one-year period that included at least part of the pregnancy.
Consumption of ultra-processed foods during pregnancy was not associated with an increased risk of childhood overweight or obesity. However, the researchers found a higher risk of becoming overweight or obese in children of mothers who consumed more ultra-processed dairy-based desserts and sweetened beverages during pregnancy.
Interestingly, there was a slight decrease in the amount of ultra-processed foods consumed by mothers in the study between 1991 and 2015.
Previous studies have linked maternal inflammation during pregnancy with childhood obesity. Evidence suggests that additives such as emulsifiers commonly used in dairy-based desserts can alter the gut microbiota and promote chronic maternal inflammation, subsequently resulting in childhood obesity.
Alternatively, consumption of ultra-processed foods during pregnancy could alter the long-term expression of genes associated with fetal growth and energy balance, increasing the risk of childhood obesity.
The researchers noted that the study had an observational design and does not establish causality between maternal consumption of ultra-processed foods and the incidence of obesity or overweight in their offspring. In other words, the results seen in the study could be due to factors that were not taken into account in the study.
They also noted that their analysis used self-report measures of body weight and diet, which could be susceptible to bias. Furthermore, the women included in the study had similar socioeconomic backgrounds and educational levels and this could limit the generalizability of these results to a broader population.
Other researchers have expressed skepticism about the NEW STAR classification system, which was used to categorize foods according to the degree and type of processing. Dr Duane Mellorregistered dietitian and senior lecturer at Aston University, says:
“The potentially subjective description of ultra-processed foods can introduce bias and error. Something homemade with ingredients may not be considered ultra-processed, but when the identical product is bought from a store it is not, but after all, a cake is still a cake, store-bought or home-baked.”
Dr Hilda Mulrooneyassociate professor of nutrition at Kingston University, says there was “a lot of disagreement” about the NOVA classification system for ultra-processed foods.
“The NOVA system is not agreed upon in the literature and suggests that the level of processing rather than the nutritional quality of foods is more important for health. This is not universally accepted in the science of nutrition, which links poor health risk to nutrient intake,” he said, noting that ultra-processed foods are often high in calories, fat, salt, and/or sugar.
Are all processed foods bad?
Dr. Gunter Kuhnleprofessor of nutrition and food science at the University of Reading, notes that “[The study participants] with the highest intake of ultra-processed foods have the lowest overall diet quality, are more likely to smoke, have lower income and lower educational level; therefore, it is very likely that socioeconomic factors can explain at least some of the results.”
“In my opinion, such studies detract from the real issue by focusing on a fashionable but incorrect definition. Many of the foods classified as ‘ultra-processed’ can be part of a healthy diet and there is no need to avoid them. As they often have a long shelf life and make much better use of resources (e.g. fish fingers), they are more affordable and can reduce food waste,” Professor Kuhnle added.
“Instead of demonizing food and making people feel guilty about not being able to afford more expensive food, it would be better to understand the physiological reasons and find ways to mitigate them. Ultimately, this would also require addressing existing health disparities.”
— Dr. Gunter Kuhnle
