Humans have long processed food to increase safety and shelf-life, but excessive consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is linked to serious health issues like obesity, high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes.
In wealthy nations such as the UK and the US, adults get more than half of their calories from UPFs, with adolescents consuming even more. UPFs include items like sweetened yoghurts, margarine, cereal bars, chicken nuggets, and energy drinks.
A pioneering study recently analyzed how much UPF UK adolescents consume and identified characteristics associated with their consumption. The research showed that two-thirds of adolescents’ calories come from UPFs, which is the highest proportion among any age group. Furthermore, the study found that adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to consume more UPFs.
The study utilized data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey collected between 2008 and 2019, which included food diaries from 2,991 adolescents aged 11 to 18.
Study Finds UK Adolescents Consume Majority of Calories from Ultra-Processed Foods, Highlighting Health Risks and Socio-Demographic Disparities
Researchers examined the percentage of total energy intake and the grams of UPFs consumed, alongside factors like age, gender, parents’ occupation, body weight, ethnic group, region, and physical activity level. On average, adolescents consumed 861 grams of UPFs per day, making up 66% of their daily caloric intake.
Significant disparities were found in UPF consumption based on social and demographic factors. Younger adolescents, those with parents in manual occupations, white adolescents, and those living in northern England consumed more UPFs.
For example, 13-year-olds derived 68% of their calories from UPFs, while 18-year-olds derived 63%. White adolescents consumed 67% of their calories from UPFs compared to 59% for non-white adolescents. Additionally, male adolescents consumed more UPFs (941 grams daily) than females (776 grams).
The study also examined UPF consumption trends over 11 years, noting a slight decrease from 68% of calories in 2008-09 to 65% in 2018-19. However, the impact of the pandemic on UPF consumption remains unknown due to the lack of post-2019 data.
Addressing the high consumption of UPFs among adolescents is crucial, as dietary habits formed during this period can persist into adulthood. Effective interventions should involve adolescents in developing strategies to replace UPFs with less processed alternatives, improve the quality of school food, and increase access to minimally processed foods to foster healthier eating habits.
