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How to evaluate ultra-processed food intake in pediatrics? UPF score: an easy alternative
Laura Fernanda Rosales-Arreola1,2, Citlali Ayala-Galván1, Estefany Villa-Aguilar1,3
1Translational Research Center, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, Insurgentes Sur 3700 C, Insurgentes Cuicuilco, CP, 04530, Mexico City, Coyoacán, Mexico.
Insights
The ultra-processed food (UPF) score effectively assesses children's diets, linking higher UPF intake to poorer nutrition and lower intake of essential nutrients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Dietary Assessment
- Public Health
Background:
- Rising ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption in children necessitates tools to evaluate its health impacts.
- Current methods for quantifying UPF intake are limited, hindering research and intervention development.
- Reliable assessment of UPF intake is crucial for understanding its effects on pediatric diet quality.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish the relationship between the ultra-processed food (UPF) score and various dietary characteristics in children.
- To validate the UPF score as a measure of dietary patterns in a pediatric cohort.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 353 children aged 3-17 years.
- Utilized three-day food records to assess intake across food groups and categorize frequency.
- Employed cumulative scoring, principal component analysis, and regression models to analyze UPF score associations with diet.
Main Results:
- Higher UPF scores correlated with increased energy, fat, and sodium intake, alongside higher sugar consumption.
- Elevated UPF intake was associated with decreased fiber, vegetables, fruits, cereals, and vitamins A and C.
- Dietary patterns analysis revealed two healthy and two less healthy patterns; higher fiber intake was linked to lower UPF scores.
Conclusions:
- The ultra-processed food (UPF) score is a valuable tool for evaluating UPF consumption in pediatric populations.
- The UPF score effectively captures associations between UPF intake and key dietary quality indicators.
- This scoring system can aid in identifying at-risk children and informing targeted nutritional interventions.
Background:
The rising intake of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) among the pediatric population poses challenges due to the lack of precise and easily accessible tools to quantify such intake. This complicates understanding its effects on dietary quality and hampers the design of interventions to prevent the negative impact of UPF consumption on health. Given these challenges, it is essential to establish reliable methods to assess UPF consumption and its effect on diet.
Objective:
This study aims to determine the relationship between the UPF score and dietary characteristics.
Methods:
This cross-sectional study involved 353 participants aged 3 to 17. The methods included (1) collection of a three-day food record; (2) an evaluation of intake across five food groups; (3) categorization of intake frequency (0, 1, 2, or up to 3 times weekly); and (4) scoring by cumulative intake. Principal component analysis and regression models were utilized to assess diet associations with UPF score.
Results:
Higher cumulative UPF score groups were associated with increased intake of energy, fats, and sodium (p < 0.01); decreased fiber intake (p = 0.03), vegetables, fruits, and cereals (p < 0.05); higher sugar intake (p < 0.01); and reduced intake of vitamins A and C (p < 0.05). Four principal components, representing over 65% of sample variability, identified two healthy and two less healthy dietary patterns. Linear regression indicated higher fiber intake at lower UPF scores, declining with higher UPF scores.
Conclusions:
The UPF score represents a useful tool for assessing UPF intake and dietary characteristics in pediatric populations.
