Ultra-Processed Foods—Dietary Foe or Potential Ally?
The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has steadily increased in the United States. Health experts attribute the increasing prevalence of NCDs, in part, to the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) based on epidemiological observations. However, no definitive evidence of causality...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2024-03-01
|
| Series: | Nutrients |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/7/1013 |
| _version_ | 1797212140321374208 |
|---|---|
| author | Sabrina Nees Tymofiy Lutsiv Henry J. Thompson |
| author_facet | Sabrina Nees Tymofiy Lutsiv Henry J. Thompson |
| author_sort | Sabrina Nees |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has steadily increased in the United States. Health experts attribute the increasing prevalence of NCDs, in part, to the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) based on epidemiological observations. However, no definitive evidence of causality has been established. Consequently, there is an ongoing debate over whether adverse health outcomes may be due to the low nutrient density per kilocalorie, the processing techniques used during the production of UPFs, taste preference-driven overconsumption of calories, or unidentified factors. Recognizing that “the science is not settled,” we propose an investigative process in this narrative review to move the field beyond current controversies and potentially identify the basis of causality. Since many consumers depend on UPFs due to their shelf stability, affordability, availability, ease of use, and safety from pathogens, we also suggest a paradigm for guiding both the formulation of UPFs by food designers and the selection of UPFs by consumers. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:37:39Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-225fc227c9064efab841c293aff825c7 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2072-6643 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-24T10:37:39Z |
| publishDate | 2024-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Nutrients |
| spelling | doaj.art-225fc227c9064efab841c293aff825c72024-04-12T13:24:22ZengMDPI AGNutrients2072-66432024-03-01167101310.3390/nu16071013Ultra-Processed Foods—Dietary Foe or Potential Ally?Sabrina Nees0Tymofiy Lutsiv1Henry J. Thompson2Graduate Program in Horticulture and Human Health, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USACancer Prevention Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USAGraduate Program in Horticulture and Human Health, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USAThe prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has steadily increased in the United States. Health experts attribute the increasing prevalence of NCDs, in part, to the consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) based on epidemiological observations. However, no definitive evidence of causality has been established. Consequently, there is an ongoing debate over whether adverse health outcomes may be due to the low nutrient density per kilocalorie, the processing techniques used during the production of UPFs, taste preference-driven overconsumption of calories, or unidentified factors. Recognizing that “the science is not settled,” we propose an investigative process in this narrative review to move the field beyond current controversies and potentially identify the basis of causality. Since many consumers depend on UPFs due to their shelf stability, affordability, availability, ease of use, and safety from pathogens, we also suggest a paradigm for guiding both the formulation of UPFs by food designers and the selection of UPFs by consumers.https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/7/1013non-communicable diseasesfood processingnutritional qualitynutrient densityultra-processed foods |
| spellingShingle | Sabrina Nees Tymofiy Lutsiv Henry J. Thompson Ultra-Processed Foods—Dietary Foe or Potential Ally? Nutrients non-communicable diseases food processing nutritional quality nutrient density ultra-processed foods |
| title | Ultra-Processed Foods—Dietary Foe or Potential Ally? |
| title_full | Ultra-Processed Foods—Dietary Foe or Potential Ally? |
| title_fullStr | Ultra-Processed Foods—Dietary Foe or Potential Ally? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ultra-Processed Foods—Dietary Foe or Potential Ally? |
| title_short | Ultra-Processed Foods—Dietary Foe or Potential Ally? |
| title_sort | ultra processed foods dietary foe or potential ally |
| topic | non-communicable diseases food processing nutritional quality nutrient density ultra-processed foods |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/7/1013 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sabrinanees ultraprocessedfoodsdietaryfoeorpotentialally AT tymofiylutsiv ultraprocessedfoodsdietaryfoeorpotentialally AT henryjthompson ultraprocessedfoodsdietaryfoeorpotentialally |