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Visioli F, Marangoni F, Fogliano V, Del Rio D, Martinez JA, Kuhnle G, Buttriss J, Da Costa Ribeiro H, Bier D, Poli A. The ultra-processed foods hypothesis: a product processed well beyond the basic ingredients in the package. Nutr Res Rev 2023; 36:340-350. [PMID: 35730561 DOI: 10.1017/s0954422422000117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
The NOVA classification of food items has become increasingly popular and is being used in several observational studies as well as in nutritional guidelines and recommendations. We propose that there is a need for this classification and its use in the formulation of public health policies to be critically discussed and re-appraised. The terms 'processing' and 'ultra-processing', which are crucial to the NOVA classification, are ill-defined, as no scientific, measurable or precise reference parameters exist for them. Likewise, the theoretical grounds of the NOVA classification are unclear and inaccurate. Overall, the NOVA classification conflicts with the classic, evidence-based evaluation of foods based on composition and portion size because NOVA postulates that the food itself (or how much of it is eaten) is unimportant, but rather that dietary effects are due to how the food is produced. We contend that the NOVA system suffers from a lack of biological plausibility so the assertion that ultra-processed foods are intrinsically unhealthful is largely unproven, and needs further examination and elaboration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Visioli
- Department of Molecular Medicine, University of Padova, Padova, Italy
- IMDEA-Food, CEI UAM+CSIC, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Vincenzo Fogliano
- Food Quality and Design Group, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Daniele Del Rio
- Department of Food and Drugs, Human Nutrition Unit, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | | | - Gunter Kuhnle
- Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University of Reading, UK
| | | | - Hugo Da Costa Ribeiro
- Department of Pediatrics, Federal University of Bahia School of Medicine, Salvador, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Dennis Bier
- Department of Pediatrics, Children's Nutrition Research Center, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, USA
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O'Connor LE, Higgins KA, Smiljanec K, Bergia R, Brown AW, Baer D, Davis C, Ferruzzi MG, Miller K, Rowe S, Rueda JMW, Andres A, Cash SB, Coupland J, Crimmins M, Fiecke C, Forde CG, Fukagawa NK, Hall KD, Hamaker B, Herrick KA, Hess JM, Heuven LA, Juul F, Malcomson FC, Martinez-Steele E, Mattes RD, Messina M, Mitchell A, Zhang FF. Perspective: A Research Roadmap about Ultra-Processed Foods and Human Health for the United States Food System: Proceedings from an Interdisciplinary, Multi-Stakeholder Workshop. Adv Nutr 2023; 14:1255-1269. [PMID: 37722488 PMCID: PMC10721509 DOI: 10.1016/j.advnut.2023.09.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/13/2023] [Indexed: 09/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Our objective was to convene interdisciplinary experts from government, academia, and industry to develop a Research Roadmap to identify research priorities about processed food intake and risk for obesity and cardiometabolic diseases (CMD) among United States populations. We convened attendees at various career stages with diverse viewpoints in the field. We held a "Food Processing Primer" to build foundational knowledge of how and why foods are processed, followed by presentations about how processed foods may affect energy intake, obesity, and CMD risk. Breakout groups discussed potential mechanistic and confounding explanations for associations between processed foods and obesity and CMD risk. Facilitators created research questions (RQs) based on key themes from discussions. Different breakout groups convened to discuss what is known and unknown for each RQ and to develop sub-RQs to address gaps. Workshop attendees focused on ultra-processed foods (UPFs; Nova Group 4) because the preponderance of evidence is based on this classification system. Yet, heterogeneity and subjectivity in UPF classification was a challenge for RQ development. The 6 RQs were: 1) What objective methods or measures could further categorize UPFs, considering food processing, formulation, and the interaction of the two? 2) How can exposure assessment of UPF intake be improved? 3) Does UPF intake influence risk for obesity or CMDs, independent of diet quality? 4) What, if any, attributes of UPFs influence ingestive behavior and contribute to excess energy intake? 5) What, if any, attributes of UPFs contribute to clinically meaningful metabolic responses? 6) What, if any, external environmental factors lead people to consume high amounts of UPFs? Uncertainty and complexity around UPF intake warrant further complementary and interdisciplinary causal, mechanistic, and methodological research related to obesity and CMD risk to understand the utility of applying classification by degree of processing to foods in the United States.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E O'Connor
- Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, United States.
| | - Kelly A Higgins
- Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | | | - Robert Bergia
- Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), Decatur, IL, United States
| | - Andrew W Brown
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Research Institute, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - David Baer
- Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Cindy Davis
- Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Mario G Ferruzzi
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States; Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Kevin Miller
- Bell Institute of Health & Nutrition, General Mills, Minneapolis, MN, United States
| | | | | | - Aline Andres
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Sean B Cash
- Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States
| | - John Coupland
- Penn State University, University Park, PA, United States
| | - Meghan Crimmins
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences and Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Chelsey Fiecke
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, United States; Arkansas Children's Nutrition Center, Little Rock, AR, United States
| | - Ciarán G Forde
- Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Naomi K Fukagawa
- Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD, United States
| | - Kevin D Hall
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, United States
| | - Bruce Hamaker
- Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Kirsten A Herrick
- National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Rockville, MD, United States
| | - Julie M Hess
- Agricultural Research Service, US Department of Agriculture, Grand Forks, ND, United States
| | - Lise Aj Heuven
- Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Filippa Juul
- New York University School of Global Public Health, New York, NY, United States
| | | | | | | | - Mark Messina
- Soy Nutrition Institute Global, Pittsfield, MA, United States
| | - Alyson Mitchell
- Food Science and Technology, University of California at Davis, CA, United States
| | - Fang Fang Zhang
- Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States
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Abstract
Food-based dietary guidelines have been the basis of public health recommendations for over half a century, but more recently, there has been a trend to classify the health properties of food not by its nutrient composition, but by the degree to which it has been processed. This concept has been supported by many association studies, narrative reviews and the findings from one randomised controlled feeding trial, which demonstrated the sustained effect of ultra-processed diets on increasing both energy intake and body weight. This has led to widespread speculation as to specific features of ultra-processed foods that promote increased energy intakes. Rising interest in the ultra-processed topic has led to proposals to include guidance and restrictions on the consumption of processed foods in national dietary guidelines, with some countries encouraging consumers to avoid highly processed foods completely, and only choose minimally processed foods. However, there remains a lack of consensus on the role of processed foods in human health when faced with the challenges of securing the food supply for a growing global population, that is, healthy, affordable and sustainable. There has also been criticism of the subjective nature of definitions used to differentiate foods by their degree of processing, and there is currently a lack of empirical data to support a clear mechanism by which highly processed foods promote greater energy intakes. Recommendations to avoid all highly processed foods are potentially harmful if they remove affordable sources of nutrients and will be impractical for most when an estimated two-thirds of current energy purchased are from processed or ultra-processed foods. The current review highlights some considerations when interpreting the dietary association studies that link processed food intake to health and offers a critique on some of the mechanisms proposed to explain the link between ultra-processed food and poor health. Recent research suggests a combination of higher energy density and faster meal eating rates are likely to influence meal size and energy intakes from processed foods and offers new perspectives on how to manage this in the future. In going beyond the ultra-processed debate, the aim is to summarise some important considerations when interpreting existing data and identify the important gaps for future research on the role of processed food in health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciarán G Forde
- Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour, Division of Human Nutrition and Health, Wageningen University and Research, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Bjøntegaard MM, Molin M, Kolby M, Torheim LE. Purchase of ultra-processed foods in Norway: a repeated cross-sectional analysis of food sales in 2013 and 2019. Public Health Nutr 2023; 26:1743-1753. [PMID: 37339927 PMCID: PMC10478042 DOI: 10.1017/s1368980023001192] [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: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE A dietary pattern dominated by ultra-processed foods has been associated with non-communicable diseases in several studies. A previous study from 2013 found a high share of ultra-processed foods in Norwegian food sales. This study aimed to investigate the current share of ultra-processed foods in Norway and the development in expenditure on ultra-processed foods from 2013. DESIGN A repeated cross-sectional analysis of scanner data from the Consumer Price Index from September 2013 and 2019 and an investigation of the processing degree according to the NOVA classification system. SETTING Food sales in Norway. PARTICIPANTS Norwegian grocery stores (n 180, for both time periods). RESULTS The share of expenditure in 2019 was highest for ultra-processed foods (46·5 %) and minimally or unprocessed foods (36·3 %), followed by processed foods (8·5 %) and processed culinary ingredients (1·3 %). An increasing degree of processing was found for several of the food groups between 2013 and 2019; however, most effect sizes were weak. In 2019, soft drinks became the most frequently purchased food item, surpassing milk and cheese, with the highest expenditure in Norwegian grocery stores. Increases in expenditure on ultra-processed foods were mainly due to increased expenditures on soft drinks, sweets and potato products. CONCLUSIONS A high share of expenditure on ultra-processed food was found in Norway, which may imply a high consumption of these foods. The change in expenditure of NOVA groups between 2013 and 2019 was small. Carbonated and non-carbonated soft drinks were the most frequently purchased products in Norwegian grocery stores and contributed to most of the expenditures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Michaelsen Bjøntegaard
- Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 4 St. Olavs Plass, N-0130 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Sognsvannsveien 9, 0372 Oslo, Norway
| | - Marianne Molin
- Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 4 St. Olavs Plass, N-0130 Oslo, Norway
- Department of Health Sciences, Oslo New University College, NO-0456 Oslo, Norway
| | - Marit Kolby
- Department of Health Sciences, Oslo New University College, NO-0456 Oslo, Norway
| | - Liv Elin Torheim
- Department of Nursing and Health Promotion, Faculty of Health Sciences, Oslo Metropolitan University, P.O. Box 4 St. Olavs Plass, N-0130 Oslo, Norway
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Janani R, Tan VWK, Goh AT, Choy MJY, Lim AJ, Teo PS, Stieger M, Forde CG. Independent and combined impact of texture manipulation on oral processing behaviours among faster and slower eaters. Food Funct 2022; 13:9340-9354. [PMID: 36017675 DOI: 10.1039/d2fo00485b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Background: Food texture can moderate eating rate and ad libitum energy intake. Many foods are combined with condiments when consumed and the texture and eating properties differ considerably between condiments and carrier foods. Little is known about how combinations of textures impact oral processing or whether these differences are affected by individual eating-styles. Objective: We investigated the impact of texture parameters (unit size, thickness, hardness and lubrication) on oral processing behaviours for carrots and rice-crackers, and tested whether these behaviours differ between 'faster' and 'slower' eaters. Method: Seventy participants (34 males, 26.0 ± 5.4 years, BMI = 21.5 ± 1.7 kg m-2) consumed 24 weight-matched carrot samples varying in unit size (large/medium/small), thickness (thick/thin), hardness (hard/soft) and lubrication (with/without mayonnaise). In a second step, participants consumed 8 weight-matched cracker samples varying in unit size (large/small), hardness (hard/soft) and lubrication (with/without mayonnaise). Sample consumption was video-recorded for post hoc behavioural annotation to derive specific oral processing behaviours. Participants were divided into 'faster' or 'slower' eater groups using a post hoc median split based on eating rate of raw carrot. Results: Across texture parameters, hardness had the largest influence (p < 0.001) on eating rate for both carrots and crackers. The independent texture differences for carrot ranked from most to least impact on eating rate was hardness > thickness > lubrication > unit size. For crackers, the rank order of eating rate was hardness > lubrication > unit size. Harder carrot samples with decreased unit size and reduced thickness combined had a larger synergistic effect in reducing eating rate (p < 0.001) than manipulation of any single texture parameter alone. Reducing the unit size of crackers while increasing hardness without lubrication combined (p = 0.015) to produce the largest reduction in eating rate. There were no significant differences between fast and slow eaters on their oral processing behaviours across texture manipulations. Conclusions: Combinations of texture manipulations have the largest impact in moderating oral processing behaviours, and this is consistent across 'faster' and 'slower' eaters. Changing food-texture presents an effective strategy to guide reformulation of product sensory properties to better regulate eating rate and energy intake, regardless of an individual's natural eating-style.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Janani
- Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), Singapore Institute for Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
| | - Vicki Wei Kee Tan
- Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), Singapore Institute for Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
| | - Ai Ting Goh
- Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), Singapore Institute for Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
| | - Michelle Jie Ying Choy
- Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), Singapore Institute for Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
| | - Amanda JiaYing Lim
- Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), Singapore Institute for Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
| | - Pey Sze Teo
- Clinical Nutrition Research Centre (CNRC), Singapore Institute for Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore.
| | - Markus Stieger
- Wageningen University, Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour, Division of Human Nutrition and Health, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Ciarán G Forde
- Wageningen University, Sensory Science and Eating Behaviour, Division of Human Nutrition and Health, P.O. Box 17, 6700 AA Wageningen, The Netherlands.
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