UK adolescents get around two-thirds of their daily calories from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), research funded by NIHR's School for Public Health Research has revealed.

UPFs tend to be foods with poor dietary quality. This is because they often contain high levels of added sugars, saturated fat and salt.

They are also likely to have lower levels of fibre, protein and micronutrients. It has been suggested that UPFs can be blamed for the rising levels of obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

Yanaina Chavez-Ugalde from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge and the study’s first author, said, “Adolescents’ food patterns and practices are influenced by many factors, including their home environment, the marketing they are exposed to and the influence of their friends and peers. But adolescence is also an important time in our lives where behaviours begin to become ingrained.”

Researchers from the Universities of Cambridge and Bristol analysed data from four-day food diaries of almost 3,000 adolescents. The data came from the 'UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey'.

They looked at trends in the UK between 2008/9 and 2018/19. The researchers found that on average, 66 per cent of adolescents’ energy intake came from UPFs during this period.

The data also showed there was a slight fall from 68 per cent to 63 per cent between 2008/09 and 2018/2019.

The study found that UPF consumption was highest among:

  • Adolescents from deprived backgrounds
  • Those of white ethnicity
  • Younger adolescents

Esther van Sluijs, the joint senior author from the MRC Epidemiology Unit at Cambridge, said, “Ultra-processed foods offer convenient and often cheaper solutions to time- and income-poor families, but unfortunately, many of these foods also offer poor nutritional value.

“This could be contributing to the inequalities in health we see emerging across childhood and adolescence.”

Zoi Toumpakari, joint senior author from the Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences at the University of Bristol, commented, “Our findings suggest that disparities in consumption of ultra-processed foods are not just down to individual choices.

“We hope this evidence can help guide policymakers in designing more effective policies to combat the negative effects of ultra-processed food consumption among youth and the ripple effects this has on public health.”

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