[ad_1]
Ultra-processed foods make up a large part of what children eat. And adults aren’t that late.
Approximately 62% of the daily calories for children and teens came from ultra-processed foods, the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics.
The report shows that the CDC is the first to provide estimates on the amount of ultra-highly processed foods that make up American diets.
May Health and Human Services Director Robert F. Kennedy Jr. cited ultra-high-processed foods in a list of his top issues that he needs to deal with to curb what he says is a chronic illness epidemic in children.
Last month, the Department of Health and Human Services took the first step to formally define “ultra-processed food.” This could open the door to regulations, such as the type of food assistance programs that are eligible for. Experts say. Diets with high-grade foods are associated with many health issues, including depression, type 2 diabetes, and early death.
Previous administrations also tried to take action on ultra-highly processed foods, but these efforts primarily focus on labeling and individual ingredients such as sugars and trans fats, rather than modulating or classifying foods based on the level of processing. In January, during the Biden administration, the Food and Drug Administration proposed requesting new labels before most packaged foods and drinks.
Thursday’s report is based on the results of the National Health and Nutrition Test Survey from August 2021 to August 2023.
Anne Williams, a researcher at the National Center for Health Statistics, the report’s lead author, said the institution has identified ultra-highly processed foods using the NOVA classification system, a framework developed by Brazilian researchers, the most commonly used tool for evaluating processed foods. Nova defines ultra-processed products as “industrial works.”
The most important sources of ultra-processed foods for both children and adults were sandwiches such as burgers, hot dogs and PB&JS. This was followed by baked goods, salty snacks and sweet drinks.
The report found that adults with higher incomes tend to have fewer super processed foods.
It was also found that the intake of ultra-processed foods for both children and adults dropped slightly between 2017-18 and August 2021-23. For adults, the decline began even earlier, dating back to 2013-14. Williams warned that the decline so far has been small. This is a 56 calorie difference over the course of about 10 years.
Marion Nestle, professor of nutrition, food research and public health at New York University, said the CDC findings match what external researchers found about American dietary habits.
Nestlé said parents can easily throw school lunch bags, so they tend to be drawn to ultra-processed food for their children.
But she says that perhaps the biggest reason kids eat so many ultra-processed foods is that the food industry sells it to them.
“They are the most profitable products in supermarkets, and businesses sell them and sell them directly to kids,” Nestlé said. “They’re cool, they’re iconic and you’re lucky to be able to eat them, because that’s how they’re being sold.”
The term “ultra-processed food” was created around 2009 and is primarily used for research purposes, saying Susan Maine was the director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition in both Biden and the first Trump administration.
They produce ultra-positive foods like chicken nuggets and soda, making up about 60% of American diets.
Research shows that eating ultra-high-processed foods in general is associated with increased calorie intake and weight gain, and is associated with a higher risk of chronic disease, Mayne said.
The problem with defining ultra-processed foods is that not all of them are related to greater health risks, she said. In fact, certain yogurt, whole grain bread, cereals, etc. are actually associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases like colon cancer. States like California have tried to address it by coming up with a definition of “particularly harmful” ultra-processed food, she added.
The NOVA classification system also has limitations as it does not directly measure the processing, Maine said. Rather, it uses additives and certain ingredients as a proxy for the level of processing.
“The FDA is engaged in the public process of trying to define UPF. This is a good first step,” Main said in an email, referring to ultra-highly processed foods. “However, it is important to repeat the research to demonstrate that new definitions predict or better predict risk of chronic disease than existing definitions before they are used in policies.”
HHS has not said it intends to formally define “super-processed.”
Nestlé said the Trump administration also hopes to target marketing.
“These are very useful products and kids are trained to eat them, so kids eat them,” she said.
Artificial sweeteners are common in diet sodas and other low-calorie sweet foods.
[ad_2]Source link
