• Health The danger of ultra-processed foods, two new studies confirm their relationship with the development of tumors and cardiovascular diseases

  • Epidemic of ultra-processed foods: what they are, how they affect you and why you should stop eating them

Certain ultra-processed foods, such as sweets, pastries and frozen desserts, can be a

gateway

for adolescents leading them to eat greater amounts of other unhealthy foods, according to

new research presented at the 2022 Hypertension Scientific Sessions of the

American Heart Association

(AHA), which is being held in San Diego.

The meeting is the premier scientific exchange focused on recent advances in basic and clinical research on high blood pressure and its relationship to heart and kidney disease, stroke, obesity, and genetics.

Research suggests that reducing consumption of these foods may have an impact on overall consumption of ultra-processed products, which are

high in sugar, salt, unhealthy trans fats, and artificial flavors and colors

.

Ultra-processed foods, such as bread, cereals, desserts, soft drinks, and processed meats, account

for more than 60% of the calories Americans consume each day.

Previous research has linked high consumption of ultra-processed foods to high blood pressure, weight gain, increased risk of heart disease and premature death.

"Ultra-processed foods are designed to be hyperpalatable, or designed to be as addictive as possible

," said Maria Balhara, lead researcher on this study and a student at Broward College in Davie, Florida.

"They're also cheap and convenient, which makes them hard to resist. Most people eat too many of these foods without realizing it."

Balhara has a unique perspective on adolescent eating behavior: She is 16 years old and led the study while enrolled at Broward College while attending Cooper City High School.

She

collected data on how often the teens consumed 12 ultra-processed food products over the previous eight weeks.

Ultra- processed foods

included packaged cookies, candy, chips, chocolate, energy drinks, frozen desserts, soft drinks, store-bought pastries, store-bought milkshakes, sweetened coffee or tea with syrup, white bread, and processed meat.

Study participants were 315 adolescents ages 13 to 19 recruited from 12 South Florida high schools between February and April 2022.

The average Body Mass Index (BMI) among participants was 22.8 (indicating normal body weight), with 56% of participants self-identifying as white, 25.2% as Hispanic, and 7. 6% as black.

Additionally, 52.2% of the participants identified as female, 41.6% as male, 3.2% as non-binary, and the rest did not specify their gender.

Intake Assessment

Participants completed a survey developed by Balhara, called

the Processed Food Intake Assessment (PIE)

.

It assessed the frequency of your consumption of the 12 processed foods over the previous 8 weeks in 2022, and some questions to measure your 2022 consumption (after Covid 19 restrictions were lifted) with your estimated 2019 consumption ( before Covid restrictions).

The survey

asked students to answer "true" or "false" to statements such as

"I often drank soda during the previous 8 weeks in 2022"

and

"I often drank soda before the pandemic in 2019"

.

Their responses were used to calculate a PIE score from 0 to 100, with 8.33 points for "often" responses or 0 points otherwise.

Their scores for consumption in 2022 were compared to their scores for estimated consumption before the pandemic in 2019.

Sweets, packaged pastries, and frozen desserts were found to act as a potential "gateway" to drive increased (or decreased) consumption of other processed food products

.

Teens who changed their intake of these "entrance" foods were more likely to change their intake of all other ultra-processed foods as well.

The analysis found that, among the entrees

identified

, increased frequency of consumption of

frozen desserts was associated with an 11% increase in consumption of all other ultra-processed foods

;

the increase in the consumption of

pastries increased by 12%

in the consumption of all other ultra-processed foods;

and

sweets was associated with a 31% increase

in the consumption of all other ultra-processed foods.

Before and after the pandemic

The report also found that

43% of adolescents estimated that they increased the frequency of consumption of ultra-processed foods

after the lifting of pandemic restrictions, compared to their consumption before the pandemic, while 57% estimated a decrease in the consumption of ultra-processed foods.

consumption, according to the PIE score.

Among other foods included in the survey, decreased consumption of processed meats among participants was associated with an

8% decrease in consumption of all other ultra-processed foods

;

decreased consumption of

white bread was associated with a 9% decrease

in consumption of all other ultra-processed foods;

and decreased consumption of

prepackaged cookies was associated with a 10% decrease

in consumption of all other ultra-processed foods.

"For adolescents whose consumption of ultra-processed foods has not yet been established, certain entrees such as sweets, store-bought pastries and frozen desserts should be avoided, as increased consumption of these foods appears to lead to increased consumption of other processed foods," says Balhara.

"The good news," he adds, "is that even

small changes, such as reducing how often some entrees are eaten, can reduce overall consumption of unhealthy foods

and have a big impact on overall health."

"I congratulate Ms. Balhara on her project, which highlights the importance of establishing good dietary patterns early in life," said Dr. Donna K. Arnett, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Chancellor of the University of South Carolina, and past president of the American Heart Association.

"The relationship between poor diet quality and cardiovascular risk factors is well established.

Although this is a small and preliminary study, it is an important topic that requires further investigation

and helps us understand how we can influence dietary behaviors to promote optimal cardiovascular health at all ages.

Limitations of the study include its limited generalizability to all adolescent populations and that the information collected was self-reported.

Additionally, the PIE survey has not been validated and the study did not include health data, such as blood tests, to determine the impact of participants' dietary choices.

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