- Ultra-processed foods are foods that have undergone a significant level of industrial processing and modification during manufacturing and contain only small amounts of whole foods., If any.
- Recent studies have shown that mothers who consume ultra-processed foods during childhood are at increased risk of being overweight or obese during childhood or adolescence.
- These findings suggest that women of reproductive age should limit their consumption 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 is nearly
New research published in
“Our research highlights the importance of maternal diet not only to maternal health but also to child health. Guidance tended to be central, which underscores the need to encourage healthy eating throughout life.”
— Dr. Andrew Chan, study author and professor at Harvard Medical School
“From a public health perspective, there is also a need to emphasize access to healthy food at the family level to reduce the epidemic of obesity among children and adults,” Dr Chan said. Medical news today.
“We also need to understand that one manifestation of social disparities in health is not only differential access to health care, but differential access to healthy, minimally processed foods. This requires careful and thoughtful policymaking that addresses not only the basic human right to food, but also the right to healthy food,” he added.
Until recently, public health guidelines on the prevention and treatment of obesity have generally emphasized the importance of maintaining healthy eating patterns. These approaches encourage consumption of specific foods such as whole grains, nuts, fruits and vegetables, and fish while limiting intake of other foods such as saturated fat, sugar, and sodium.
With the obesity epidemic, the consumption of highly processed foods is steadily increasing around the world. Additionally, studies show that consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with obesity, diabetes, and an increased risk of diabetes.
Ultra-processed foods are foods that have undergone a large amount of industrial processing and processing, and therefore contain only small amounts of whole foods. As such, 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.
Because of the industrial manufacturing processes used to produce these types of foods, ultra-processed foods are generally very tasty, inexpensive, and high in calories, sugar, salt, and saturated fat. Examples include mass-produced bread and bakery products, ready-to-eat meals, packaged sweets, desserts and snacks.
Several studies consistently show that ultra-processed food consumption is associated with overweight and obesity in adults and children. , that is, it has been shown that maternal diet during parenting can influence the risk of obesity in offspring.
These studies examine maternal adherence to specific dietary patterns, such as the DASH diet, or the association between the quality of the diet consumed by the mother and the risk of childhood obesity. However, studies that specifically examine the association between maternal consumption of ultra-processed foods and the incidence of childhood and adolescent obesity are lacking.
In this study, researchers used mother-infant paired data to examine the effect of maternal ultra-processed food consumption during pregnancy and nursing on the development of obesity or overweight in children or adolescents. I was. .
This study used data from mothers enrolled in the Nurse’ Health Study II (NHS II) and their children participating in the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS I and II). NHS II is a longitudinal study examining risk factors associated with chronic disease. Nurses aged between 25 and 42 years her age at enrollment.
GUTS-1 and GUTS-11 were longitudinal studies in children of NHS participants aged 7 to 17 years at enrollment and aimed to investigate the long-term effects of diet and exercise on individual weight. I’m doing it.
Researchers used data collected from routine lifestyle and health questionnaires in three studies. This included data from a food frequency questionnaire used to assess his average daily consumption of various ultra-processed foods.
The researchers followed 19,958 mother-infant pairs over an average of 4 years and analyzed the association between maternal ultra-processed food consumption during nursing and the incidence of overweight or obesity in children aged 7 to 18 years. did.
They found that maternal consumption of ultra-processed foods during parenting was associated with an increased risk of overweight or obesity in childhood or adolescence.
The researchers then divided the mothers into five groups based on their daily consumption of ultra-processed foods during the parenting period. maternal risk factors such as, and ultra-processed food consumption, sedentary time, and physical activity level.
Offspring of mothers who consumed the highest levels of ultra-processed foods during childhood had a 26% higher risk of being overweight or obese.
Among various types of ultra-processed foods, maternal consumption of ultra-processed breads and breakfast items was associated with an increased risk of obesity or overweight in offspring.
Next, researchers examined the effects of eating ultra-processed foods during pregnancy. They analyzed data from his one-year dietary assessment 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, researchers have found that offspring of mothers who consumed more ultra-processed milk-based desserts and sugary drinks during pregnancy had a higher risk of developing overweight or obesity.
Interestingly, the study noted that the amount of ultra-processed foods consumed by mothers decreased slightly between 1991 and 2015.
Previous studies linked maternal inflammation during pregnancy to childhood obesity. Evidence suggests additives such as:
Alternatively, consumption of ultra-processed foods during pregnancy may 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 was an observational design and did not establish a causal relationship between maternal ultra-processed food consumption and the incidence of obesity or overweight in offspring. In other words, the results observed in the study may be due to factors not explained in the study.
They also noted that their analyzes used self-reported measurements of body weight and diet, which may be subject to bias. We had a socioeconomic background and level of education, which may limit our ability to generalize these results to a wider population.
Other researchers
“Potentially subjective descriptions of ultra-processed foods can lead to bias and error. This is not the case if purchased in a store.
Dr. Hilda Mulroney, an associate professor of nutrition at Kingston University, said there was “a lot of disagreement” about the NOVA classification system for ultraprocessed foods.
“The NOVA system is not agreed upon in the literature, suggesting that the level of processing, rather than the nutritional quality, of food is more important for health. It’s not universally agreed upon,” she said, noting that ultra-processed foods are often high in calories, fat, salt, and/or sugar.
Are all processed foods bad?
Dr. Gunter Kuhnle, Professor of Nutrition and Food Science at the University of Reading, said:[The study participants] People with the highest ultra-processed food intake had the lowest overall diet quality, were most likely to smoke, had lower incomes, and had lower educational attainment, so socioeconomic factors accounted for at least some of the results. It is very possible that it can be explained.
“In my opinion, such research distracts from the real problem by focusing on fashionable but erroneous definitions. It is part of a healthy diet and should not be avoided. They often have a longer shelf life and make better use of resources such as fish fingers, making them affordable and reducing food waste,” he added.
“Instead of demonizing food and making people feel guilty about not being able to buy more expensive foods, it is better to understand the physiological reasons and find ways to mitigate them. also need to address existing health inequalities.”
— Dr. Gunter Kuhnle
