Written By: Longjam Dineshwori | Updated : August 12, 2021 12:07 PM IST
The largest spike in calories came from frozen pizza and burgers.
Processing can improve the shelf life of a food product and enhances consumer convenience, but highly processed or ultra-processed foods tend to be low in essential nutrients, high in sugar, oils and salt which are bad for health. Unfortunately, ultraprocessed foods have now become a larger part of kids' and teens' diets, which is concerning. According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), ultraprocessed foods now comprise 2/3 of total caloric intake in children and teens.
Researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University, United States, analyzed dietary intake from 33,795 children and adolescents nationwide. The findings showed that their calorie consumption from ultraprocessed foods jumped from 61% of total caloric intake in 1999 to 67% in 2018. The largest spike in calories came from ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat dishes such as takeout and frozen pizza and burgers, followed by packaged sweet snacks and desserts.
Senior and corresponding author Fang Fang Zhang, nutrition epidemiologist at the Friedman School, warned that the increase in the consumption of ultraprocessed foods by children and teenagers is concerning.
However, over the study period, calories from sugar-sweetened beverages dropped by 51%. This is the result of the concerted campaign over the past few years to reduce overall consumption of sugary drinks, said Zhang and highlighted the need to mobilize the same energy and level of commitment to other unhealthy ultraprocessed foods such as cakes, cookies, doughnuts and brownies as well.
The study researchers noted that ultraprocessed foods are often high in added sugar, sodium, and carbohydrates, and low in fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals. They also usually contain hydrogenated oils and flavor enhancers. Examples of ultraprocessed foods include packaged sweet snacks and desserts, sugary breakfast cereals, French fries, fast food burgers, and some lunchmeats such as bologna and salami.
Excess consumption of ultraprocessed foods is associated with higher risks of obesity, heart disease and stroke, type-2 diabetes, and certain cancers.
A high amount of ultra-processed foods in your diet may increase the risk of death from any cause by 26 per cent, and 58 per cent specifically from cardiovascular diseases - concluded a study from IRCCS NEUROMED - Mediterranean Neurological Institute in Italy, and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in December 2020.
Another study published in The BMJ last month found that five or more servings of ultra-processed food per day was associated with 82% higher risk of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The risk was 67% higher for 1-4 servings per day.
In a rodent-based study published in the journal Science Advances, researchers at Monash University in Australia suggested that eating processed foods may cause leaky gut syndrome, which can increase the risk of kidney disease. The high content of harmful chemical compounds called Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs) in heat-treated or processed foods was blamed for the condition. AGEs are typically added to enhance the flavour and aroma of roasted, fried, grilled and baked foods.
Intake of highly processed or ultra-processed foods is also found associated with increased risk of cancer, including breast, prostate, and bowel (colorectal) cancers. The results of a study, which was in The BMJ in 2018, found a 10% increase in the proportion of ultra-processed foods in the diet associated with 12% increase in the risk of overall cancer and 11% in the risk of breast cancer.
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