This is why it's called "junk food"
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| This is not a new problem |
New study in JAMA also found kids and teens eat less unprocessed and minimally processed foods.
The calories that children and adolescents consumed from ultraprocessed foods jumped from 61% to 67% of total caloric intake from 1999 to 2018, according to a new study from researchers at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science & Policy at Tufts University.
Published August 10,
2021, in JAMA, the study analyzed dietary intake from
33,795 children and adolescents nationwide.
“Some whole grain breads and dairy foods are ultraprocessed, and they’re healthier than other ultraprocessed foods.
Processing can keep food
fresher longer, allows for food fortification and enrichment, and enhances
consumer convenience,” said senior and corresponding author Fang Fang
Zhang, nutrition epidemiologist at the Friedman School. “But many
ultraprocessed foods are less healthy, with more sugar and salt, and less
fiber, than unprocessed and minimally processed foods, and the increase in
their consumption by children and teenagers is concerning.”
The largest spike in calories came from such ready-to-eat or
ready-to-heat dishes as takeout and frozen pizza and burgers: from 2.2% to
11.2% of calories. The second largest spike in calories came from packaged
sweet snacks and desserts, the consumption of which grew from 10.6% to 12.9%.
There was a larger increase in the consumption of ultraprocessed
foods among non-Hispanic Blacks (10.3%) and Mexican Americans (7.6%) than
non-Hispanic Whites (5.2%). Trends in other racial/ethnic groups were not
assessed due to lack of sufficient data that allow for nationally
representative estimates across survey cycles.
There were no statistically significant differences in the overall findings by parental education and family income.
“The lack of disparities based on parental education and family income indicates that ultraprocessed foods are pervasive in children’s diets,” said Zhang. “This finding supports the need for researchers to track trends in food consumption more fully, taking into account consumption of ultraprocessed foods.”
Over the study period, calories from often healthier unprocessed
or minimally processed foods decreased from 28.8% to 23.5%. The remaining
percentage of calories came from moderately processed foods such as cheese and
canned fruits and vegetables, and consumer-added flavor enhancers such as
sugar, honey, maple syrup, and butter.
There was good news: Calories from sugar-sweetened beverages
dropped from 10.8% to 5.3% of overall calories, a 51% drop.
“This finding shows the benefits of the concerted campaign over
the past few years to reduce overall consumption of sugary drinks,” said Zhang.
“We need to mobilize the same energy and level of commitment when it comes to
other unhealthy ultraprocessed foods such as cakes, cookies, doughnuts and
brownies.”
“In additional analyses, we compared the composition of
ultraprocessed foods to non-ultra processed foods using data from the 2017-2018
period. We found that ultraprocessed foods contain a substantially higher
percent of calories from carbohydrates and added sugars, and higher levels of
sodium, but also had less fiber and a lower percentage of calories from
protein,” said the study’s first author, Lu Wang, a postdoctoral fellow at
the Friedman School.
“Food processing is an often-overlooked dimension in nutrition research.
We may need to consider that ultraprocessing of some foods may be associated
with health risks, independent of the poor nutrient profile of ultraprocessed
foods generally,” concluded Zhang.
Ultraprocessed
Foods
Ultraprocessed foods are ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat items often
high in added sugar, sodium, and carbohydrates, and low in fiber, protein,
vitamins, and minerals. They typically contain added sugars, hydrogenated oils,
and flavor enhancers. Examples include packaged sweet snacks and desserts,
sugary breakfast cereals, French fries, fast food burgers, and some lunchmeats
such as bologna and salami. When consumed in excess, these foods are linked
with diabetes, obesity, and other serious medical conditions, such as certain
cancers.
Methodology
This new study is part of a series led by Friedman School researchers investigating patterns and trends in diet quality among U.S. adults and children. The study characterized trends in ultraprocessed food consumption among U.S. children aged 2-19 years from 1999 to 2018, overall and among population subgroups, using data from 10 consecutive cycles of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). It further assessed major ultraprocessed food subgroups consumed by U.S. children in the latest cycle of NHANES (2017-2018) and associated nutrient profiles.
The average age of
participants was 10.7 years and was roughly equally divided between boys and
girls. It relied on 24-hour dietary recall interviews conducted by trained
personnel; older children and teens directly reported on the foods they ate
while parents and caregivers did so for younger children. The percentage of
calories consumed by participants was determined using the NOVA food classification system developed by
researchers at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Reference: 10 August 2021, JAMA.
DOI: 10.1001/jama.2021.10238
This study was supported by the National Institutes of Health’s
National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (award
R01MD011501) to Fang Fang Zhang, and the São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP)
awarded to co-author Eurídice Martínez Steele. The content is solely the
responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official
views of the National Institutes of Health. For conflicts of interest
disclosure, please see the study.
