Your children’s consumption of ultra-processed foods may put them at higher risk, study finds

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The ultra-processed foods your children eat today could put them at greater risk of cardiometabolic problems – like heart attacks, strokes and diabetes – as adults, a new study suggests.

“One of the important things to learn is that some of the things we face in the adult world most likely start very early in life,” said Dr. Stuart Berger, a pediatric cardiologist and chair of the cardiology section. and cardiac surgery for the American Academy of Pediatrics. He was not involved in the research.

The study, published Friday in JAMA Network Open, analyzed data from more than 1,400 children aged 3 to 6 recruited from schools in seven cities in Spain.

The children’s caregivers met with the researchers in person and completed at-home questionnaires on physical activity, food consumption and demographics from 2019 to 2022, according to the study.

The researchers divided the children’s data into three groups based on the amount of ultra-processed foods they ate. Children who consumed the most ultra-processed foods were more likely to have risk factors such as higher body mass index, systolic blood pressure and waist-to-height ratio, the study found.

Ultra-processed foods are those that contain ingredients “never or rarely used in cooking, or classes of additives whose function is to make the final product palatable or more attractive,” according to the United Nations for food and agriculture.

These ingredients – found in products such as soda, chips, packaged soups, chicken nuggets and ice cream – can include preservatives against mold or bacteria, artificial colors, emulsifiers to stop separation and sugar, salt, and fat added or modified to make foods healthier. attractive.

“Americans eat ultra-processed foods every day,” said Dr. Andrew Freeman, director of cardiovascular prevention and wellness at National Jewish Health in Denver. He was not involved in the research.

In a study published May 8, a group of Americans consumed at least three servings of ultra-processed foods per day, with one group consuming an average of seven servings per day, according to the study.

Many studies have shown the negative effects of ultra-processed foods on adult health, but Friday’s study is among the first to show the impact they can have on the cardiometabolic health of young children, Berger said , also professor of pediatrics at Ann & Robert. H. Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago.

“This particular topic, ultra-processed food consumption and the risks, is a very important topic among children,” he said.

The study is observational, meaning that even if researchers can identify an association between the amount of ultra-processed foods children eat and their health, they cannot say that one is the cause. other, Berger said.

Still, it’s crucial to be careful about ultra-processed foods aimed at young children, because how they eat for the rest of their lives will depend greatly on their early diet, he said.

“What we know is that people who eat a certain way, even mothers who eat in utero, determine baby’s preferences,” Freeman said. “A lot of literature has shown that what we eat early in life… actually sets the stage for what happens in the future. »

It’s easiest to change your child’s diet from ultra-processed foods to fresher options when they are very young, Berger said.

The problem is that it’s not easy for everyone to avoid ultra-processed foods.

The study found that children with the highest amount of ultra-processed foods in their diet had younger mothers, higher BMI, and lower levels of education and employment.

In places where fresh food may be harder to obtain, ultra-processed foods are more accessible and less expensive, Freeman said.

“Ultra-processed foods are also ultra-convenient,” he said. “As a result, people are looking for them when they feed their children, and their children are not hungry, but they are filled with all these different chemicals, substances, seasonings, salts, sugars and everything that they become very dependent on. . »

Freeman pointed out that feeding children ultra-processed foods without also providing them with fresh fruits and vegetables sets them up for long-term problems.

It’s essential to add more nutritious foods and encourage physical activity as much as possible, Berger added.

“If you can do something to create a healthy lifestyle early on, there is a good chance you can eliminate metabolic syndromes later in life like diabetes, obesity and all the complications associated with diabetes and obesity,” he said.