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Dai S, Wellens J, Yang N, Li D, Wang J, Wang L, Yuan S, He Y, Song P, Munger R, Kent MP, MacFarlane AJ, Mullie P, Duthie S, Little J, Theodoratou E, Li X. Ultra-processed foods and human health: An umbrella review and updated meta-analyses of observational evidence. Clin Nutr 2024; 43:1386-1394. [PMID: 38688162 DOI: 10.1016/j.clnu.2024.04.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/11/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS Ultra-processed food (UPF) intake has increased sharply over the last few decades and has been consistently asserted to be implicated in the development of non-communicable diseases. We aimed to evaluate and update the existing observational evidence for associations between ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption and human health. METHODS We searched Medline and Embase from inception to March 2023 to identify and update meta-analyses of observational studies examining the associations between UPF consumption, as defined by the NOVA classification, and a wide spectrum of health outcomes. For each health outcome, we estimated the summary effect size, 95% confidence interval (CI), between-study heterogeneity, evidence of small-study effects, and evidence of excess-significance bias. These metrics were used to evaluate evidence credibility of the identified associations. RESULTS This umbrella review identified 39 meta-analyses on the associations between UPF consumption and health outcomes. We updated all meta-analyses by including 122 individual articles on 49 unique health outcomes. The majority of the included studies divided UPF consumption into quartiles, with the lowest quartile being the reference group. We identified 25 health outcomes associated with UPF consumption. For observational studies, 2 health outcomes, including renal function decline (OR: 1.25; 95% CI: 1.18, 1.33) and wheezing in children and adolescents (OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.34, 1.49), showed convincing evidence (Class I); and five outcomes were reported with highly suggestive evidence (Class II), including diabetes mellitus, overweight, obesity, depression, and common mental disorders. CONCLUSIONS High UPF consumption is associated with an increased risk of a variety of chronic diseases and mental health disorders. At present, not a single study reported an association between UPF intake and a beneficial health outcome. These findings suggest that dietary patterns with low consumption of UPFs may render broad public health benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shuhui Dai
- Department of Big Data in Health Science School of Public Health, Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Judith Wellens
- Translational Gastro-Intestinal Unit, Nuffield Department of Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, UK; KU Leuven Department of Chronic Diseases and Metabolism, Translational Research Center for Gastrointestinal Disorders (TARGID), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nan Yang
- Department of Big Data in Health Science School of Public Health, Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Doudou Li
- School of Public Health, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Jingjing Wang
- Department of Big Data in Health Science School of Public Health, Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Lijuan Wang
- Department of Big Data in Health Science School of Public Health, Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Centre for Global Health, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Shuai Yuan
- Department of Big Data in Health Science School of Public Health, Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; Unit of Cardiovascular and Nutritional Epidemiology, Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Yazhou He
- West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
| | - Peige Song
- School of Public Health and Women's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
| | - Ron Munger
- Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies, Utah State University, Logan, UT, USA
| | - Monique Potvin Kent
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Patrick Mullie
- International Prevention Research Institute, Lyon, France; Belgian Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Susan Duthie
- School of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, The Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Julian Little
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - Evropi Theodoratou
- Centre for Global Health, Usher Institute, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK; Cancer Research UK Edinburgh Centre, Institute of Genetics and Cancer, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Xue Li
- Department of Big Data in Health Science School of Public Health, Center of Clinical Big Data and Analytics of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China; The Key Laboratory of Intelligent Preventive Medicine of Zhejiang Province, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
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Brewerton TD, Dennis K, Wiss DA. Dismantling the myth of "all foods fit" in eating disorder treatment. J Eat Disord 2024; 12:60. [PMID: 38760858 PMCID: PMC11102136 DOI: 10.1186/s40337-024-01017-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
We call for a reevaluation of the long-standing dogmatic nutritional principle that "all foods fit" for all cases of eating disorders (EDs) and its corollary, "there are no bad foods" (for anyone ever) during ED treatment. Based on accumulated scientific research, we challenge these ideologies as outdated, confusing, and potentially harmful to many patients. We review the evidence that indicates the folly of these assumptions and show there are a variety of exceptions to these rules, including (1) food allergies, sensitivities, and intolerances, (2) religious and spiritual preferences or doctrines, and (3) the ubiquitous emergence and widespread availability of ultra-processed foods leading to the potential development of addiction-like eating and a higher prevalence of various medical and psychiatric comorbidities, as well as higher mortality. This evidence supports a nutritional psychiatry approach that should be integrated into (rather than dissociated from) ED treatment research and practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy D Brewerton
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA.
| | - Kim Dennis
- SunCloud Health, Chicago, IL, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA
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Duquenne P, Capperella J, Fezeu LK, Srour B, Benasi G, Hercberg S, Touvier M, Andreeva VA, St-Onge MP. The association between ultra-processed food consumption and chronic insomnia in the NutriNet-Santé Study. J Acad Nutr Diet 2024:S2212-2672(24)00094-7. [PMID: 38423510 DOI: 10.1016/j.jand.2024.02.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Revised: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/26/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPF) is on the rise worldwide, and it has been linked to numerous health conditions, such as diabetes, obesity, and cancer. Few studies have focused on the effect of UPF consumption on sleep health and even fewer on chronic insomnia. OBJECTIVE This study investigated the association between UPF intake and chronic insomnia in a large population-based sample. DESIGN This was a cross-sectional analysis using the NutriNet-Santé study data, an ongoing Web cohort in France. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING Thirty-eight thousand five hundred seventy adult males and females who had completed a sleep questionnaire (2014) and at least two 24-hour dietary records were included in the analysis. MAIN OUTCOMES MEASURES Chronic insomnia was defined according to established criteria. Categorization of food and beverages as UPF was based on the NOVA-Group 4 classification. STATISTICAL ANALYSES PERFORMED The cross-sectional association between UPF intake and chronic insomnia was assessed using multivariable logistic regression. RESULTS Among the 38,570 participants (mean age, 50.0 ±14.8 years, 77.0% female) included in the analysis, 19.4% had symptoms of chronic insomnia. On average, UPF represented 16% of the total amount (g/day) of the overall dietary intake. In the fully adjusted model, UPF consumption was associated with higher odds of chronic insomnia (odds ratio [OR] for an absolute 10% greater UPF intake in the diet = 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.09). Sex-specific OR for chronic insomnia for an absolute 10% greater UPF intake in the diet were 1.09 (1.01-1.18) among males and 1.05 (1.01-1.09) among females. CONCLUSIONS This large epidemiological study revealed a statistically significant association between UPF intake and chronic insomnia, independent of sociodemographic, lifestyle, diet quality, and mental health status covariates. The findings provide insights for future longitudinal research as well as nutrition- and sleep-focused intervention and prevention programs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pauline Duquenne
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Paris Cité University, INSERM, INRAE, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Center for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS), Bobigny, France.
| | - Julia Capperella
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Paris Cité University, INSERM, INRAE, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Center for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS), Bobigny, France
| | - Léopold K Fezeu
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Paris Cité University, INSERM, INRAE, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Center for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS), Bobigny, France
| | - Bernard Srour
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Paris Cité University, INSERM, INRAE, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Center for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS), Bobigny, France
| | - Giada Benasi
- Division of General Medicine and Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Serge Hercberg
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Paris Cité University, INSERM, INRAE, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Center for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS), Bobigny, France
| | - Mathilde Touvier
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Paris Cité University, INSERM, INRAE, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Center for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS), Bobigny, France
| | - Valentina A Andreeva
- Sorbonne Paris Nord University and Paris Cité University, INSERM, INRAE, CNAM, Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (EREN), Center for Research in Epidemiology and Statistics (CRESS), Bobigny, France; Division of General Medicine and Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY
| | - Marie-Pierre St-Onge
- Division of General Medicine and Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY.
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Andreeva VA, Perez-Jimenez J, St-Onge MP. A Systematic Review of the Bidirectional Association Between Consumption of Ultra-processed Food and Sleep Parameters Among Adults. Curr Obes Rep 2023; 12:439-452. [PMID: 37477854 PMCID: PMC11165373 DOI: 10.1007/s13679-023-00512-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW We summarized research on the bidirectional association between intake of ultra-processed food (UPF) and sleep. RECENT FINDINGS Sleep contributes to cardiometabolic health in part via food intake patterns. Restricting sleep increases intakes of high-carbohydrate/high-fat foods, a profile representative of UPF. This systematic review covers the association of UPF intake, as an exposure or an outcome, and sleep. UPF was defined as NOVA Group 4. MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched through April 2023 for epidemiological studies with general-population adult samples. Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria; all were cross-sectional, published between 2016 and 2023, with samples from Brazil (n = 8), Spain (n = 2), Italy (n = 1), the UK (n = 1), Paraguay (n = 1), Iran (n = 1) and China (n = 1). Thirteen studies examined UPF intake as the exposure whereas two tested UPF intake as the outcome. UPF intakes were determined using food frequency questionnaires (73%) or 24-h recalls (27%). Two studies assessed sleep via accelerometry; the remaining studies relied on self-reports of sleep quality, duration, anxiety-induced insomnia, and napping, with 60% using a single question. The average methodological quality across the studies was deemed "fair". Six of the 13 studies that examined UPF consumption as the exposure revealed inverse associations with sleep outcomes in adjusted (n = 5) or bivariate (n = 1) analyses. Both studies addressing UPF consumption as the outcome and sleep as the exposure showed significant inverse associations. Evidence for UPF-sleep associations is accumulating, although sleep assessment limitations are apparent. This review can provide impetus for research using comprehensive and validated sleep measures and nudge policymakers towards refining dietary guidelines worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina A Andreeva
- Nutritional Epidemiology Research Group, INSERM U1153/INRAE U1125/CNAM, Epidemiology and Statistics Research Center (CRESS), Sorbonne Paris Nord University, 93017, Bobigny, France
- Division of General Medicine and Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
| | - Jara Perez-Jimenez
- Institute of Food Science, Technology and Nutrition, Spanish Research Council (ICTAN-CSIC), 28040, Madrid, Spain
- Division of General Medicine and Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA
- CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM), ISCIII, 28029, Madrid, Spain
| | - Marie-Pierre St-Onge
- Division of General Medicine and Center of Excellence for Sleep & Circadian Research, Department of Medicine, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10032, USA.
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Via E, Contreras-Rodríguez O. Binge-Eating Precursors in Children and Adolescents: Neurodevelopment, and the Potential Contribution of Ultra-Processed Foods. Nutrients 2023; 15:2994. [PMID: 37447320 DOI: 10.3390/nu15132994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Binge-eating disorder (BED) is a highly prevalent disorder. Subthreshold BED conditions (sBED) are even more frequent in youth, but their significance regarding BED etiology and long-term prognosis is unclear. A better understanding of brain findings associated with BED and sBED, in the context of critical periods for neurodevelopment, is relevant to answer such questions. The present narrative review starts from the knowledge of the development of emotional self-regulation in youth, and the brain circuits supporting emotion-regulation and eating behaviour. Next, neuroimaging studies with sBED and BED samples will be reviewed, and their brain-circuitry overlap will be examined. Deficits in inhibition control systems are observed to precede, and hyperactivity of reward regions to characterize, sBED, with overlapping findings in BED. The imbalance between reward/inhibition systems, and the implication of interoception/homeostatic processing brain systems should be further examined. Recent knowledge of the potential impact that the high consumption of ultra-processed foods in paediatric samples may have on these sBED/BED-associated brain systems is then discussed. There is a need to identify, early on, those sBED individuals at risk of developing BED at neurodevelopmental stages when there is a great possibility of prevention. However, more neuroimaging studies with sBED/BED pediatric samples are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Via
- Child and Adolescent Mental Health Research Group, Institut de Recerca Sant Joan de Déu, Santa Rosa 39-57, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
- Department of Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, Passeig Sant Joan de Déu, 2, 08950 Esplugues de Llobregat, Spain
| | - Oren Contreras-Rodríguez
- Medical Imaging, Girona Biomedical Research Institute (IdIBGi), Parc Hospitalari Martí i Julià-Edifici M2, Salt, 17190 Girona, Spain
- Health Institute Carlos III (ISCIII) and CIBERSAM, 28029 Madrid, Spain
- Department of Psychiatry and Legal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain
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