Ultra-processed foods are silently altering your metabolism, scientists warn

Research has identified metabolic changes caused by ultra-processed foods, raising concerns about their role in obesity, cardiovascular disease, and impaired gut health.

study: Association between ultra-processed food intake and untargeted metabolomic profiles in adolescents and young adults in the DONALD Cohort Study. Image credit: Rinma Bondarenko / Shutterstock

Scientists from France and Germany conducted a study to identify metabolic biomarkers in urine and plasma associated with ultra-processed food intake in adolescents and young adults.

This study is currently available as a pre-calibration. nutrition journal.

background

Ultra-processed foods refer to industrially processed foods that contain food-derived or reconstituted ingredients and other industrially separated ingredients. These ingredients are typically used to enhance the product's shelf life and organoleptic properties.

Intake of ultra-processed foods is increasing rapidly around the world, especially in developed countries. Epidemiological studies consistently link high intakes of ultra-processed foods, especially animal products and sweetened beverages, to an increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and metabolic disorders. Excess consumption of ultra-processed foods has also been linked to chronic kidney disease, cancer, and neuropsychiatric complications.

Ultra-processed foods contain excessive amounts of sugar, salt, saturated fat, and energy-dense ingredients, and low amounts of protein and fiber. Such a poor nutrient profile is thought to be responsible for the negative health effects.

In this study, scientists found an association between ultra-processed food intake and plasma and urine metabolite levels in adolescents and young adults. They applied untargeted metabolomics analysis to capture a wide range of metabolic changes associated with the consumption of ultra-processed foods.

The scientists chose these two biological matrices because urine samples reliably reflect short-term changes in metabolite levels associated with dietary intake, while plasma samples reflect long-term diet-responsive metabolic states. in order to provide a more stable overview of the

research design

Scientists analyzed data from the Dortmund Nutrition and Anthropometric Longitudinal Program (DONALD) study. This study is an ongoing study that aims to regularly assess healthy infants and follow them into adulthood.

The DONALD study has been recruiting healthy infants annually since 1985, collecting dietary intake, anthropometric measurements, urine sample collection, blood sample collection, medical parameters, lifestyle factors, and other sociodemographic data. We evaluate it regularly.

Data from adolescents who provided 3-day dietary records and 24-hour urine samples were analyzed to examine the association between ultra-processed food intake and urinary metabolic profiles.

For young adults, the association between ultra-processed food intake and blood metabolic profile was determined by analyzing dietary records from 3 or more days within 5 years prior to a single blood measurement.

important findings

A total of 339 adolescent urine samples and 195 young adult blood samples were analyzed in this study. The two groups overlapped by 139 participants.

The proportion of ultra-processed food intake to total food intake for adolescents and young adults was 22% and 23%, respectively. The most commonly consumed ultra-processed foods in both groups were sweetened beverages and ready-to-heat or ready-to-eat foods.

Sweets, chocolate, ice cream, cereals, industrial bread, processed meat and sausages contributed most to energy intake.

Effect of ultra-processed food intake on urinary metabolic profile

A total of 42 ultra-processed food-reactive metabolites were identified in adolescent urine samples. Of these metabolites, 21 showed a positive association with ultra-processed food intake.

Among the known metabolites identified in urine samples, ultraprocessed food intake showed significant positive associations with indoxyl glucuronide and other partially characterized glucuronides. These glucuronides are involved in detoxification processes, especially the removal of dietary substances via the glucuronidation pathway.

Effects of ultra-processed food intake on plasma metabolic profile

A total of six ultraprocessed food-reactive metabolites were identified in young adult plasma samples. Among these metabolites, 4-hydroxyglutamate and two structurally unknown metabolites showed positive associations with ultraprocessed food intake. 4-Hydroxyglutamate has long been associated with metabolic syndrome and may be an indicator of metabolic stress.

Effects of ultra-processed food intake on urine and plasma metabolic patterns

A total of 25 metabolite patterns identified using robust sparse principal component analysis (PCA) explained 61.7% of the variance in ultraprocessed food-mediated metabolic changes in adolescent urine samples. A significant positive association between ultra-processed food intake and one of the urinary metabolite patterns (“xenobiotics and amino acids”) and one of the plasma metabolite patterns (“lipids, xenobiotics, amino acids”) was observed.

Both metabolite patterns shared 29 metabolites related to xenobiotic metabolism, mainly involved in the degradation and removal of xenobiotics such as food additives.

Significance of research

This study found that ultra-processed foods can induce changes in urinary and plasma metabolite levels in adolescents and young adults through various pathways such as xenobiotic metabolism, amino acid metabolism, and lipid pathways. .

This study identified indoxyl glucuronide and other partially characterized glucuronides as major urinary metabolites positively associated with ultra-processed food intake. Glucuronides are produced during glucuronidation, an important biological detoxification pathway.

Regarding diet-related glucuronidation, the intestinal environment microbiome It plays an important role in the regulation of microbial transformation of food substrates and glucuronide levels and the biosynthesis of microbial metabolites.

It is also well documented that ultra-processed foods can induce dysbiosis in the gut, which is associated with a variety of health adversities, including immunological and neuropsychological disorders. has been established.

Overall, the results of this study provide useful information about the complex biological mechanisms by which ultra-processed foods can influence metabolism and health. The findings also raise concerns about how replacing minimally processed foods with ultra-processed products can lead to nutritional deficiencies and disrupted gut health.