Ultra-processed foods (UPFs) have been subject to growing criticism in recent years. Often constructed to be hyper-palatable, they are frequently high in fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) and have been linked to a range of negative health conditions, such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
They are also, according to a new study, consumed most prominently by adolescents, as data from a range of countries attests.
The present study explored UPF consumption among UK adolescents, finding that around 66% of their total energy intake came from UPFs. Adolescents from less economically advantaged backgrounds were worse affected.
How much energy to adolescents get from UPFs?
Researchers used data from food diaries filled in over four days by adolescents, drawn from 11 years of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS). Participants were also interviewed to look into variables such as their socio-economic background. Researchers then looked at the total energy intake (kcal) and the weight (grams) in UPF per day.
It was found that the adolescents in question had a mean total energy intake per day of 1,741kcal, of which UPFs accounted for 65.9%.
This contrasts significantly with adults, who consume a smaller percentage of UPFs. UK adults are estimated to consume from 55% to 57% of their calories from UPFs, Esther van Sluijs, one of the researchers, told FoodNavigator,
In terms of weight, UPFs made up 43% of adolescent food consumption. 43% in weight, compared to 65.9% in energy, suggests that UPFs are far more energy dense than ordinary foods.
Did adolescent UPF consumption change over time?
While the consumption of UPFs by adolescents did not make any substantial changes for the first seven years covered by the data, from the eighth to tenth years it reduced significantly. In the eighth year, UPFs as a percentage of energy consumption reduced by around 5.8%.
By the end of the study, percentage of UPFs by energy had reduced by 3% and by weight had reduced by 211.2 grams, compared with the beginning of the study.
How relevant was demographic background to UPF consumption?
The trend of high UPF consumption was not a blanket one across the entire adolescent population, however. In fact, certain demographics were found to be more likely to consume high amounts of UPF than others.
Criticism of the ‘ultra-processed food’ category
The ultra-processed food category, which usually uses the NOVA classification, has faced criticism for its supposedly tenuous links to nutrition. Researcher Jenny Chapman recently pointed out that NOVA was meant as a socio-political, rather than nutritional, categorisation. The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) recently released a report into food processing, suggesting that judging a food’s nutritional quality on its formulation, as it suggests the NOVA classification does, is often misleading.
For example, adolescents with parents who had routine and manual occupations or intermediate occupations were more likely to consume high amounts of UPFs (both in terms of energy and weight) than those whose parents had higher managerial occupations. While the study was not able to collect household income, it considered parental occupation as somewhat of a substitute for socioeconomic background.
“We know that in general UPFs are cheaper and more convenient, which may be driving higher consumptions in populations from more deprived backgrounds. The exact reasons for this in adolescents remains an area of research,” Sluijs told us.
Those who lived in the north of England were also more likely to have a higher consumption of UPFs than those in the south. Finally, those of a white ethnicity were more likely to consume high amounts of UPFs than those of a non-white ethnicity.
Why do UK adolescents consume so many UPFs?
Another recent study of UPF consumption in middle and high income countries found that UK adolescents were the highest consumers of UPFs.
High UPF consumption in the UK may be because, the present study suggests, of factors such as high urbanisation and marketing pressures. Urbanisation, for example, can increase access to a variety of cheaper foods, including UPFs.
Sourced From: European Journal of Nutrition
‘Ultra-processed food consumption in UK adolescents: distribution, trends, and sociodemographic correlates using the National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008/09 to 2018/19’
Published on: 17 July 2024
Doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.05.23290977
Authors:Y . Chavez-Ugalde, F. De Vocht, R. Jago, J. Adams, K. K. Ong, N. Forouhi, Z. Colombet, L. I.C. Ricardo, E. Van Sluijs, Z. Toumpakari
