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Vlassopoulos A, Katidi A, Noutsos S, Kapsokefalou M. Precision Food Composition Data as a Tool to Decipher the Riddle of Ultra-Processed Foods and Nutritional Quality. Foods 2024; 13:1259. [PMID: 38672931 PMCID: PMC11049098 DOI: 10.3390/foods13081259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 04/14/2024] [Accepted: 04/18/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epidemiology supports a link between ultra-processed foods (UPFs) and health, mediated mainly through the clustering of foods with suboptimal nutrient profiles within UPFs. However, successful NOVA categorization requires access to a food's ingredient list, which we hypothesized can impact both UPF identification and the link between processing and composition. METHODS Foods (n = 4851) in the HelTH branded food composition database were classified as NOVA1-4, with or without using the ingredient lists (generic and branded approach, respectively), to identify differences in NOVA classification (chi-square test) and the estimated average nutritional composition of each NOVA group (Kruskal-Willis U test). RESULTS Using the ingredients list increased UPF identification by 30%. More than 30% of foods commonly assumed to be minimally processed (NOVA1-plain dairy, frozen vegetables, etc.) were reclassified as UPFs when using ingredient lists. These reclassified foods, however, had nutritional compositions comparable to NOVA1 foods and better than UPFs for energy, fat, sugars, and sodium (p < 0.001). In fact, UPFs did not show a uniform nutritional composition covering foods from Nutri-Score A (~10%) to Nutri-Score E (~20%). CONCLUSIONS The assumption that all UPFs have the same unfavorable nutritional composition is challenged when NOVA is applied using the appropriate branded food composition database.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonis Vlassopoulos
- Laboratory of Chemistry and Food Analysis, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece; (A.K.); (S.N.); (M.K.)
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Russell C, Sievert KE, Dickie S, Machado PP. The use of food processing terminology in Australian news media: a content analysis. Public Health Nutr 2024; 27:e112. [PMID: 38557499 PMCID: PMC11036430 DOI: 10.1017/s1368980024000685] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 02/11/2024] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study aims to determine whether ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are being discussed in news media in Australia and whether this terminology, as described in the NOVA system, is being applied accurately. DESIGN Interpretive content analysis of online and print media articles that mentioned UPFs from 2009 to 2023 in Australia. SETTING Australia. PARTICIPANTS Online and print media articles. RESULTS A total of two hundred ninety-eight Australian media articles were captured. A substantial increase in the number of UPF articles was observed between 2017-2019 and 2021-2023. The UPF concept was inaccurately explained or defined in 32 % of the articles and was frequently used interchangeably with other descriptors, such as 'highly or heavily processed food', 'junk food', 'unhealthy food', 'packaged food' and 'discretionary food'. Most of the articles had a health focus; however, sustainability interest increased, particularly in the past 18 months. CONCLUSIONS UPFs are increasingly being discussed in news media in Australia; however, the concept is still incorrectly presented in over a third of articles. This highlights the importance of improving the literacy about UPFs to ensure that messages are communicated in a way that is salient, accessible and accurate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cherie Russell
- School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin
University, Geelong, VIC3125, Australia
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, Deakin
University, Geelong, VIC,
Australia
- Healthy Food Systems Australia, Melbourne,
VIC, Australia
| | - Katherine E Sievert
- Global Centre for Preventive Health and Nutrition, Deakin
University, Geelong, VIC,
Australia
- Healthy Food Systems Australia, Melbourne,
VIC, Australia
| | - Sarah Dickie
- Healthy Food Systems Australia, Melbourne,
VIC, Australia
- Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food, Monash
University, Melbourne, VIC,
Australia
| | - Priscila Pereira Machado
- School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Deakin
University, Geelong, VIC3125, Australia
- Healthy Food Systems Australia, Melbourne,
VIC, Australia
- Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin
University, Geelong, VIC3125, Australia
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Dicken SJ, Batterham RL. Ultra-processed Food and Obesity: What Is the Evidence? Curr Nutr Rep 2024; 13:23-38. [PMID: 38294671 PMCID: PMC10924027 DOI: 10.1007/s13668-024-00517-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/01/2024]
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.
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel J Dicken
- Centre for Obesity Research, Department of Medicine, University College London (UCL), London, WC1E 6JF, UK
| | - Rachel L Batterham
- Centre for Obesity Research, Department of Medicine, University College London (UCL), London, WC1E 6JF, UK.
- Bariatric Centre for Weight Management and Metabolic Surgery, University College London Hospital (UCLH), London, NW1 2BU, UK.
- National Institute for Health Research, Biomedical Research Centre, University College London Hospital (UCLH), London, W1T 7DN, UK.
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Hall KD. From dearth to excess: the rise of obesity in an ultra-processed food system. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220214. [PMID: 37482782 PMCID: PMC10363698 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
More people now have obesity than suffer from starvation thanks to our modern food system. Agriculture was transformed over the 20th century by a variety of technological advancements that relied heavily on fossil fuels. In the United States, government policies and economic incentives led to surplus production of cheap inputs to processed food industries that produced a wide variety of heavily marketed, convenient, rewarding, timesaving, and relatively inexpensive ultra-processed foods. The energy available in the food supply increased by much more than the population needs, albeit with large inequities in nutrition security. While most of the rise in per capita food availability during the late 20th and early 21st centuries in the United States resulted in increased food waste, a variety of mechanisms have been proposed by which changes in the increasingly ultra-processed food environment resulted in excess energy intake disproportionately in people genetically susceptible to obesity. As populations continue to grow, substantial investments in coordinated nutrition and agricultural research are needed to transform our current food system to one that relies less on fossil fuels, preserves biodiversity, ensures environmental health, and provides equitable access to affordable, safe and nutritious food that reduces the prevalence of chronic diet-related diseases like obesity. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Causes of obesity: theories, conjectures and evidence (Part I)'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kevin D. Hall
- Integrative Physiology Section Chief, Laboratory of Biological Modeling, National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, 12A South Drive, Room 4007, Bethesda, MD 20892-4007, USA
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Stanner S, Spiro A, Ahmadi K, Brunstrom J, Calder PC, Frost G, Walton G, Warren M. Translational research to identify solutions to the UK's key diet, health and nutrition challenges: The Diet and Health Open Innovation Research Club Innovation Hubs. NUTR BULL 2023; 48:310-313. [PMID: 37593828 DOI: 10.1111/nbu.12637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Philip C Calder
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
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Craig WJ, Messina V, Rowland I, Frankowska A, Bradbury J, Smetana S, Medici E. Plant-Based Dairy Alternatives Contribute to a Healthy and Sustainable Diet. Nutrients 2023; 15:3393. [PMID: 37571331 PMCID: PMC10421454 DOI: 10.3390/nu15153393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant-based foods are increasing in popularity as more and more people are concerned about personal and planetary health. The consumption of plant-based dairy alternatives (PBDAs) has assumed a more significant dietary role in populations shifting to more sustainable eating habits. Plant-based drinks (PBDs) made from soya and other legumes have ample protein levels. PBDs that are appropriately fortified have adequate levels of important vitamins and minerals comparable to dairy milk. For the PBDs examined, the greenhouse gas emissions were diminished by 59-71% per 250 mL, and the land use and eutrophication impact was markedly less than the levels displayed by dairy milk. The water usage for the oat and soya drinks, but not rice drinks, was substantially lower compared to dairy milk. When one substitutes the 250 mL serving of dairy milk allowed within the EAT Lancet Planetary Health Diet for a fortified plant-based drink, we found that the nutritional status is not compromised but the environmental footprint is reduced. Combining a nutrient density score with an environmental index can easily lead to a misclassification of food when the full nutrition profile is not utilized or only a selection of environmental factors is used. Many PBDAs have been categorized as ultra-processed foods (UPFs). Such a classification, with the implied adverse nutritional and health associations, is inconsistent with current findings regarding the nutritional quality of such products and may discourage people from transitioning to a plant-based diet with its health and environmental advantages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Winston J Craig
- Center for Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle, and Disease Prevention, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA 93254, USA
| | - Virginia Messina
- Nutrition Consultant, Nutrition Matters, Inc., Pittsfield, MA 01201, USA
| | - Ian Rowland
- Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6DH, UK
| | - Angelina Frankowska
- Independent Research Consultant, Environmental Sustainability Assessment, Bedford MK45 4BX, UK
| | - Jane Bradbury
- School of Medicine, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk L39 4QP, UK
| | - Sergiy Smetana
- German Institute of Food Technologies (DIL e.v.), 49610 Quakenbrueck, Germany
| | - Elphee Medici
- Nutrition & Sustainable Diets Consultant, Nutrilicious Ltd., London N2 0EF, UK
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Prescott SL, D’Adamo CR, Holton KF, Ortiz S, Overby N, Logan AC. Beyond Plants: The Ultra-Processing of Global Diets Is Harming the Health of People, Places, and Planet. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2023; 20:6461. [PMID: 37569002 PMCID: PMC10419141 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph20156461] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Revised: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023]
Abstract
Global food systems are a central issue for personal and planetary health in the Anthropocene. One aspect of major concern is the dramatic global spread of ultra-processed convenience foods in the last 75 years, which is linked with the rising human burden of disease and growing sustainability and environmental health challenges. However, there are also calls to radically transform global food systems, from animal to plant-derived protein sources, which may have unintended consequences. Commercial entities have moved toward this "great plant transition" with vigor. Whether motivated by profit or genuine environmental concern, this effort has facilitated the emergence of novel ultra-processed "plant-based" commercial products devoid of nutrients and fiber, and sometimes inclusive of high sugar, industrial fats, and synthetic additives. These and other ingredients combined into "plant-based" foods are often assumed to be healthy and lower in calorie content. However, the available evidence indicates that many of these products can potentially compromise health at all scales-of people, places, and planet. In this viewpoint, we summarize and reflect on the evidence and discussions presented at the Nova Network planetary health meeting on the "Future of Food", which had a particular focus on the encroachment of ultra-processed foods into the global food supply, including the plant-sourced animal protein alternatives (and the collective of ingredients therein) that are finding their way into global fast-food chains. We contend that while there has been much uncritical media attention given to the environmental impact of protein and macronutrient sources-meat vs. novel soy/pea protein burgers, etc.-the impact of the heavy industrial processing on both human and environmental health is significant but often overlooked, including effects on cognition and mental health. This calls for a more nuanced discourse that considers these complexities and refocuses priorities and value systems towards mutualistic solutions, with co-benefits for individuals, local communities, and global ecology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susan L. Prescott
- Nova Institute for Health, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; (C.R.D.); (A.C.L.)
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
- Medical School, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
- The ORIGINS Project, Telethon Kids Institute, Nedlands, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Christopher R. D’Adamo
- Nova Institute for Health, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; (C.R.D.); (A.C.L.)
- Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
| | - Kathleen F. Holton
- Departments of Health Studies and Neuroscience, Center for Neuroscience and Behavior, American University, Washington, DC 20016, USA;
| | - Selena Ortiz
- Department of Health Policy and Administration, The Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA 16802, USA;
| | - Nina Overby
- Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Centre for Lifecourse Nutrition, University of Agder, 4630 Kristiansand, Norway;
| | - Alan C. Logan
- Nova Institute for Health, Baltimore, MD 21231, USA; (C.R.D.); (A.C.L.)
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