A new study by the Center for Epidemiological Research in Nutrition and Health (Nupens), from the Faculty of Public Health at the University of São Paulo (USP), observed the relationship between the consumption of ultra-processed foods and beverages, generally rich in sugar, sodium, fat and chemical additives such as dyes, flavors, emulsifiers and thickeners, and overweight among US teenagers. The results showed that those who ate the most ultra-processed foods, with these items accounting for about 64% of the total grams of the diet, were 45% more likely to be obese when compared to those who consumed the least (18.5% on average).
The researchers considered data from 3,587 people ages 12 to 19 who participated in the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (Nhanes). These adolescents were divided into three groups according to the amount ingested of these products. The group that ate the most ultra-processed products was still 52% more prone to abdominal obesity and had a 63% greater chance of visceral obesity, a condition that is associated with the development of chronic diseases, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia, in addition to an increased risk of mortality.
This study, the results of which were published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, provides an overview of the relationship between ultra-processed foods and obesity in adolescence, present in the postdoctoral work of nutritionist Daniela Neri, who investigated the effect of these food products on health of children and adolescents. In this clipping, the diet pattern of these young people between 12 and 19 years old was verified through a methodology that obtains information about food and beverages consumed the day before the interviews of the national health and nutrition survey.
– With this study, we have very representative data on the population in this age group. We can say that two thirds of the total calories in the diet [dos adolescentes dos Estados Unidos entre 12 e 19 anos] come from the ultra-processed. We also verified the relative weight of these products in relation to everything they ate. In terms of grams, ultra-processed foods accounted for 40% of everything they ate – points out Daniela Neri.
The nutritionist reinforces that the greater the presence of ultra-processed foods in the diet of adolescents, the greater the chances of them being overweight and obese, as shown by the results. However, the researchers also verified the participants’ anthropometric data, using the growth curve in the United States as a reference. They calculated the Body Mass Index (BMI), which considers weight and height squared to identify overweight and obesity parameters, measured waist circumference and verified sagittal abdominal diameter, a non-invasive way to measure fat between organs, of teenagers.
– The accumulation of fat in the abdominal region has a strong relationship with the increased risk of developing diseases. Visceral obesity, especially when there is an accumulation of fat between the organs, is a silent process that leads to chronic inflammation and the development of other diseases that are a consequence of obesity. Sometimes, the teenager may not be obese, but have an accumulation of fat in the abdominal region, which has a very strong association with food. The greater the consumption of these ultra-processed products, the greater the risk of obesity, which can cause atherosclerosis, diabetes and lack of blood pressure control. This teenager can start to have problems that have been shortening people’s lives – says the nutritionist, a specialist in child and adolescent nutrition.
Several scientific studies demonstrate the role of ultra-processed foods in increasing the risk of obesity among the general population. Daniela Neri notes that smaller studies already indicated these risks in children and adolescents, but they could not be extrapolated to these age groups in population terms or to other countries. According to the nutritionist, the results of this work that she conducted serve as a warning and can be applied to the American pediatric population and to any country, including Brazil, where the consumption of these products also gains space in the diet of adolescents.
According to Neri, in another study carried out at Nupens, it was possible to know the dietary patterns of children and adolescents in Brazil from the Family Budget Survey (POF) 2017-2018, carried out by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). These data were compared with similar national surveys conducted in Argentina, Australia, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, the United States and the United Kingdom. The nutritionist reports that in Brazil, ultra-processed foods represent 27% of the diet of children and adolescents, while in countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States it can reach 68% and 66%, respectively.
Considering this scenario and the results of these studies, Neri comments that in the United States, these items often completely replace main meals, such as breakfast, lunch and dinner. In Brazil, there is a greater understanding among the population of the food pattern that promotes health, disseminated by initiatives such as the Food Guide for the Brazilian Population, which encourages culinary preparations and the consumption of in natura foods. This conception, according to the nutritionist, may be behind the particular scenario of the country. Yes, the research indicates that there is a participation and an increase in these products in the diet of young Brazilians. However, in general, in Brazil, these items appear more in snacks, not in main meals.
– In the United States, almost everything you eat is ready-to-eat food. Some generations are not in the habit of cooking. Many parents, when picking up their children from school, for example, go through a drive-thru to buy ready-to-eat food, and as demand is high, the cost of these products is low. In Brazil, we have a more promising scenario. Our teenagers also consume ultra-processed foods, but our food culture is very strong. While in the USA two thirds of the total calories of teenagers come from these products, in Brazil they account for a quarter of the total calories in the diet. We know that the preparation of traditional foods, such as rice and beans, predominates at the base of our diet – analyzes Neri, adding that this does not exclude the need for families and public authorities to further promote this pattern that includes more in natura foods in the diet, leaving aside the ultra-processed ones.
Daniela Neri comments childhood and adolescence are important phases to create and maintain healthy eating habits that will accompany these young people throughout their lives. It is clear that when the child starts to live in other social spaces, such as the school itself, he ends up having contact with food options other than those he has at home. In adolescence, this situation changes even more, since the young person starts to have more autonomy for the choices of what they will eat. But when there is a good base, as the nutritionist reiterates, these boys and girls will be less subject to ultra-processed foods.
To help form this good food base for children and adolescents, the I Athlete with the support of the nutritionist, points out some tips:
Prepare more food at home and make fruits, vegetables and legumes the basis of food in your home. For this, it will be necessary to set aside time for the kitchen;
Make a plan for shopping, already thinking about the menu of the week;
Involve children and teenagers in these tasks, from planning and shopping to preparing food. Thus, they will create a better relationship with food and it will still be possible to strengthen the affective bonds of the family;
Don’t present home-cooked food and fresh food as something that is good for you and helps you grow healthy. This is a fact, really, but try to win children over by drawing attention to the flavors, colors and aromas of these foods to help develop the pleasure of eating real food;
Appreciate traditional Brazilian food. Bet, for example, on the classic beans and rice, accompanied by vegetables and animal protein, if you eat meat. In cafes and snacks, prefer fruits, cereals, natural yogurts and homemade or processed breads of good origin;
Considering that snacks are the weak point of Brazilian teenagers when it comes to ultra-processed foods, in addition to betting on fruits, try to prepare healthy delicacies with less refined ingredients, such as oatmeal cookies. The important thing is to avoid offering ultra-processed foods to your children at these meals;
Avoid having ultra-processed food products at home. When children and adolescents start consuming these items a lot, they may become disinterested in real food, as the additives present in these items transform their taste buds to reject what is prepared at home and in natura foods;
When eating out or even if you need to order food at home at some point, look for options that are more similar to the food that would be prepared at home. In Brazil, you can find restaurants that offer healthier meal options;
Remember: give examples. It’s no use, for example, drinking soda and telling your child that it’s an adult drink, in an attempt to prevent them from drinking it. Parents and parents serve as role models for children. So encourage good habits and good food choices.
+ Ultra-processed foods make you eat more
– It is necessary to look at the microenvironment of the home to form healthy habits. Children can enjoy eating real food. It is possible to form the palate so that they accept fresh foods and homemade preparations. Ultra-processed foods have two flavors that humans accept well, sweet and salty. When eating different stuffed cookies, you find the same flavor, unlike fruits and a food dish in which ingredients that provide different flavors are used. When they grow up in an environment with these options, children and teenagers have a much more diverse palate – notes the nutritionist.
She also highlights that although this base is built at home, parents cannot be blamed for the increase in the consumption of ultra-processed foods, since there is an investment by the food industry to make these foods more attractive, and the government also plays an important role in help to stop the increase in the presence of these products in the Brazilian diet.