In a recent study published in BMC Medicine , researchers determined the relationship between ultra-processed food (UPF) intake, obesity, and metabolic indicators among preschool children in Chile. Study: The consumption of ultra-processed foods was associated with adiposity, but not with metabolic indicators in a prospective cohort study of Chilean preschool children . Image Credit: Rimma Bondarenko/Shutterstock.
com Background Childhood obesity has become a growing public health problem globally. Childhood obesity persists throughout time and is related to metabolic abnormalities that appear at a younger age. UPF intake is associated with health disorders such as obesity, particularly in adults.
However, research on pediatric metabolic outcomes is scarce and inconsistent. Given the population health cost of inadequate nutrition among children and exponential increases in UPF consumption, knowing its consequences on metabolic risk variables is critical. About the study In the present prospective cohort study, researchers investigated the influence of UPF on obesity and metabolic outcomes among preschoolers in Chile after two years.
The researchers analyzed data from 962 pediatric participants of the Food and Environment Chilean Cohort (FECHIC) study. They collected dietary data in 2016 from four-year-olds with 24-hour recalls. Recall data was collected using the United States Department of Agriculture's (USDA) multiple-pass technique.
The team excluded records with extreme UP.