{"title":"Ultra-processed Food and Obesity: What Is the Evidence?","authors":"Samuel J Dicken, Rachel L Batterham","doi":"10.1007/s13668-024-00517-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose of review: </strong>Obesity is a growing global healthcare concern. A proposed driver is the recent increase in ultra-processed food (UPF) intake. However, disagreement surrounds the concept of UPF, the strength of evidence, and suggested mechanisms. Therefore, this review aimed to critically appraise the evidence on UPF and obesity.</p><p><strong>Recent findings: </strong>Observational studies demonstrate positive associations between UPF intake, weight gain, and overweight/obesity, more clearly in adults than children/adolescents. This is supported by high-quality clinical data. Several mechanisms are proposed, but current understanding is inconclusive. Greater UPF consumption has been a key driver of obesity. There is a need to change the obesogenic environment to support individuals to reduce their UPF intake. The UPF concept is a novel approach that is not explained with existing nutrient- and food-based frameworks. Critical analysis of methodologies provides confidence, but future observational and experimental research outputs with greater methodological rigor will strengthen findings, which are outlined.</p>","PeriodicalId":10844,"journal":{"name":"Current Nutrition Reports","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":4.6000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10924027/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Current Nutrition Reports","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-024-00517-z","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/1/31 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q1","JCRName":"NUTRITION & DIETETICS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Purpose of review: Obesity is a growing global healthcare concern. A proposed driver is the recent increase in ultra-processed food (UPF) intake. However, disagreement surrounds the concept of UPF, the strength of evidence, and suggested mechanisms. Therefore, this review aimed to critically appraise the evidence on UPF and obesity.
Recent findings: Observational studies demonstrate positive associations between UPF intake, weight gain, and overweight/obesity, more clearly in adults than children/adolescents. This is supported by high-quality clinical data. Several mechanisms are proposed, but current understanding is inconclusive. Greater UPF consumption has been a key driver of obesity. There is a need to change the obesogenic environment to support individuals to reduce their UPF intake. The UPF concept is a novel approach that is not explained with existing nutrient- and food-based frameworks. Critical analysis of methodologies provides confidence, but future observational and experimental research outputs with greater methodological rigor will strengthen findings, which are outlined.
期刊介绍:
This journal aims to provide comprehensive review articles that emphasize significant developments in nutrition research emerging in recent publications. By presenting clear, insightful, balanced contributions by international experts, the journal intends to discuss the influence of nutrition on major health conditions such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and obesity, as well as the impact of nutrition on genetics, metabolic function, and public health. We accomplish this aim by appointing international authorities to serve as Section Editors in key subject areas across the field. Section Editors select topics for which leading experts contribute comprehensive review articles that emphasize new developments and recently published papers of major importance, highlighted by annotated reference lists. We also provide commentaries from well-known figures in the field, and an Editorial Board of more than 25 internationally diverse members reviews the annual table of contents, suggests topics of special importance to their country/region, and ensures that topics and current and include emerging research.