The Effects of Ultra-Processed Food Consumption-Is There Any Action Needed?

Investigating Bioaccessibility of Advanced Glycation Product Precursors in Gluten-Free Foods Using In Vitro Gastrointestinal System

Background and Objectives: Gluten-free products have been produced as part of medical therapy and have gained popularity among individuals seeking weight loss or healthier dietary options. Assessing the potential risks associated with these products is essential in optimizing their compositions and developing new dietetic approaches. This study aimed to determine the glyoxal (GO) and methylglyoxal (MGO) contents in gluten-free bread, biscuits, and cookies and to examine their bioaccessibility using an in vitro gastrointestinal model. Materials and Methods: A total of 26 gluten-free and 19 gluten-containing (control) products were analyzed for their GO and MGO levels utilizing a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) device. Results: Post-digestion, the GO and MGO values increased significantly across all food groups compared with pre-digestion values (p < 0.05), and the bioaccessibility exceeded 100%. Specifically, gluten-free bread exhibited higher post-digestion GO and MGO values than the control group (p < 0.05). Conversely, gluten-containing biscuits and cookies had higher post-digestion GO and MGO values compared to gluten-free products (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The detection of precursors to advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in gluten-free products has drawn attention to the potential health risks associated with their consumption. Therefore, reevaluation of the formulations and technologies used in these products and the introduction of new strategies are crucial in mitigating AGE content.

Ultra-Processed Food, Reward System and Childhood Obesity

Obesity and overweight are a major public health problem globally. Diet quality is critical for proper child development, and an unhealthy diet is a preventable risk factor for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as obesity. Consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages and ultra-processed foods (UPFs) in childhood may increase the BMI/BMI z-score, body fat percentage, or likelihood of overweight. A strict feeding regulation system allows for sufficient food to be consumed to meet ongoing metabolic demands while avoiding overconsumption. This narrative review explores the issues of obesity and the regulation of food intake related to reward systems and UPF consumption. Nutrient composition alone cannot explain the influence of UPFs on the risk of obesity. Furthermore, the non-nutritional properties of UPFs may explain the mechanisms underlying the relationship with obesity and NCDs. UPFs are designed to be highly palatable, appealing, and energy dense with a unique combination of the main taste enhancer ingredients to generate a strong rewarding stimulus and influence the circuits related to feeding facilitation. How individual UPF ingredients influence eating behavior and reward processes remains not fully elucidated. To increase the knowledge on the relationship between UPFs and pediatric obesity, it may be useful to limit the rapid growth in the prevalence of obesity and subsequent related complications, and to develop new strategies for appropriate food and nutrition policies.

Outrunning a bad diet: interactions between exercise and a Western-style diet for adolescent mental health, metabolism and microbes

Adolescence is a period of biological, psychological and social changes, and the peak time for the emergence of mental health problems. During this life stage, brain plasticity including hippocampal neurogenesis is increased, which is crucial for cognitive functions and regulation of emotional responses. The hippocampus is especially susceptible to environmental and lifestyle influences, mediated by changes in physiological systems, resulting in enhanced brain plasticity but also an elevated risk for developing mental health problems. Indeed, adolescence is accompanied by increased activation of the maturing hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, sensitivity to metabolic changes due to increased nutritional needs and hormonal changes, and gut microbiota maturation. Importantly, dietary habits and levels of physical activity significantly impact these systems. In this review, the interactions between exercise and Western-style diets, which are high in fat and sugar, on adolescent stress susceptibility, metabolism and the gut microbiota are explored. We provide an overview of current knowledge on implications of these interactions for hippocampal function and adolescent mental health, and speculate on potential mechanisms which require further investigation.

The Synergetic Effect of Soft Drinks and Sweet/Salty Snacks Consumption and the Moderating Role of Obesity on Preadolescents' Emotions and Behavior: A School-Based Epidemiological Study

The consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is high along with the prevalence of emotional and behavioral problems among children and adolescents. The present study sought to investigate the synergetic effect of soft drinks and sweet/salty snacks consumption, and the moderating role of obesity on preadolescents' emotions and behavior. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1728 Greek preadolescents aged 10-12 and their parents, during the school years 2014-2016. Parental and child characteristics were collected anonymously, through self-administered and validated questionnaires. Among others, soft drinks and sweet/salty snacks consumption was recorded, classifying preadolescents as low or at least moderate consumers, while anthropometric characteristics (height, weight, Body Mass Index (BMI)) were also recorded. Approximately 6 out of 10 preadolescents were characterized by at least moderate consumption of either sweet/salty snacks, or soft drinks, while 22.7% of the participants had at least moderate consumption of both soft drinks and sweet/salty snacks. Boys and preadolescents with a lower level of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, as well as those living in a more obesogenic family environment were more likely to be in the higher consumption groups. When compared to just either the moderate consumption of sweet/salty snacks, or the moderate consumption of soft drinks, the combination of both unhealthy eating habits was associated with significantly higher odds of both aggressiveness and loneliness, while the examined relationships were significantly stronger in overweight/obese children. The positive synergistic effect of soft drinks and sweet/salty snacks consumption on preadolescents' emotions of loneliness and aggressive behavior is even burdened by obesity status highlighting the urgent need for policymakers to take preventive measures to halt the detrimental consequences of UPFs consumption on health outcomes, particularly in overweight/obese children. The importance of the improvement of children's unhealthy eating habits by emphasizing the association between food intake and emotional and behavioral status is highlighted.

Who Likes Unhealthy Food with a Strong Flavour? Influence of Sex, Age, Body Mass Index, Smoking and Olfactory Efficiency on Junk Food Preferences

Background. Unhealthy food is an important element in the development of diseases of civilisation. The aim of this study was to determine how sex, age, body mass index, smoking and olfactory efficiency influence the consumption of such foods. Methods. A total of 283 people living in the Silesian Voivodeship in Poland took part in the study. They were aged 18−82. An interview and olfactory tests were conducted together with assessments of food preferences from 25 types of food products. The extent to which sex, age, body mass index, tobacco addiction and sense of smell influence unhealthy food consumption was assessed. Results. Using the VARIMAX factor analysis, a coherent group of ‘unhealthy food with a strong flavour’ products was selected: crisps, salty snacks, fast food, sugary carbonated drinks and sour products. Unhealthy food was liked more by people who were younger (B = −0.04; PU = −0.05, −0.03; t = −7.43, eta2 = 0.17; p < 0.001) and who had a higher BMI (B = 0.03; PU ≤ 0.01, 0.06; t = 1.92, eta2 = 0.01; p = 0.056). The efficiency of the sense of smell does not play a significant role in the preference for the ‘unhealthy food’ group as a whole. The analysis of each type of unhealthy food separately showed that young people liked crisps, salty snacks, fast food and sugary carbonated drinks more, men liked fast food and sugary carbonated drinks more than women, and people with a good sense of smell liked sour products. Conclusion. According to the food preferences stated, dietary education should be targeted at young people, especially young men, to prevent the development of overweight and obesity.

Polyphenolic Characterization, Antioxidant, Antihyaluronidase and Antimicrobial Activity of Young Leaves and Stem Extracts from Rubus caesius L

Fruits are the main food part of the European dewberry (Rubus caesius L.), known as a source of polyphenols and antioxidants, while very little attention is paid to leaves and stems, especially young first-year stems. The purpose of this work was to analyze for the first time water and ethanol extracts obtained from young, freshly developed, leaves and stems of the European dewberry to determine their antioxidant and biological activity, whereas most of the papers describe biological properties of leaves collected during summer or autumn. As the phytochemical profile changes during the growing season, the quantitative and qualitative content of flavonoid glycosides and flavonoid aglycones was analyzed using reversed phase liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization triple quadrupole mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) with multiple reaction monitoring (MRM). The ability to inhibit hyaluronidase as well as antioxidant activity (2,2 diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl: DPPH and ferric antioxidant power: FRAP) were estimated. Extracts were also analyzed against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. The results of the qualitative phytochemical analysis indicated the presence of flavonoid aglycones and flavonoid glycosides, with the highest amount of tiliroside, hyperoside, isoquercetin, astragalin, rutin and catechin in ethanol extracts. DPPH and FRAP tests proved the high antioxidant activity of the extracts from leaves or stems and the antihyaluronidase assay revealed for the first time that water and ethanol extracts obtained from the stems exhibited the ability to inhibit hyaluronidase activity resulting in an IC₅₀ of 55.24 ± 3.21 and 68.7 ± 1.61 μg/mL, respectively. The antimicrobial activity has never been analyzed for European dewberry and was the highest for Clostridium bifermentans and Clostridium sporogenes—anaerobic sporulation rods as well as Enterococcus faecalis for both water and ethanol extracts.

Level of understanding and consumption of ultra-processed food in a Mediterranean population: A cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Since the population may not be aware of ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption as a result of ignorance or non-recognition, this study aimed to ascertain the main characteristics of subjects regarding their knowledge of different easily acquired foods through a questionnaire in Google Forms format with 52 questions. Secondary objectives were to determine whether the profile of UPF consumers can be defined based on sex, age, sociodemographic factors, and lifestyle.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Responses were received from 1037 participants from a convenience sample; of these, 83 (8.0%) were sporadic or non-users, and 954 (92.0%) were frequent UPF consumers. The participants of the upper tertile correctly matched >12 food items, those of the medium tertile matched 12-9 items, and those of the lower tertile matched <9 items. Factors independently associated with participants who better identified UPF (upper tertile) compared to those of the lower tertile (reference) were female sex (OR: 2.54, 95%CI: 1.70-3.79; p < 0.001), age between 21 and 50 (OR: 3.63, 95% CI: 2.56-5.15; p < 0.001), living with family (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.41-9.96; p = 0.033), and eating more fruit (≥3 pieces/day, OR: 2.30, 95% CI: 1.61-3.27; p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

These findings highlight the high consumption and low degree of awareness of UPF among consumers based mainly on food composition.