Ultra-Processed Foods Can Cause Children to Grow Up With Weight Issues in Adulthood

• Researchers say young children who have diets with ultra-processed foods can experience weight issues into early adulthood.
• That weight gain can produce a higher risk of heart disease and diabetes.
• Experts say a diet of ultra-processed foods can cause damage at the cellular level and lead to unhealthy eating habits.
• They note that ultra-processed foods are generally cheaper and easier to serve than more nutritious meals.

Children as young as 7 years old who eat large amounts of ultra-processed food experience steady weight gain into adulthood, leading many to be categorized as having obesity.

An analysis published this week in JAMA Pediatrics looked at more than 9,000 children in Britain whose daily diets were about 70 percent ultra-processed, described as high-calorie foods with various artificial ingredients.

High-processed foods are made primarily from substances extracted from food, including fats, starches, and sugars. Typically, those products include fast food, soft drinks, frozen meals, candy, and salty snacks.

Until 24 years old, the subjects in the “high consumption” category saw an average extra weight gain of about a half-pound and more than a half-inch waist circumference per year over the 10-year study period.

Those consuming high amounts of ultra-processed foods face a greater chance of not only obesity but related issues, including diabetes, heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

“The increasing availability and variety of ultra-processed foods have reshaped global food systems by displacing dietary patterns previously based on fresh and minimally processed foods,” the researchers from the Imperial College of London said in a statement.

“Of particular concern is the growing consumption of these foods among children and adolescents, who are leading consumers,” they added.