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Ultra-Processed Foods and Chronic Diseases Nutrients

A special issue of Nutrients (ISSN 2072-6643). This special issue belongs to the section "Nutritional Epidemiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 April 2025 | Viewed by 3543

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera odos 75, 118 55 Athens, Greece
Interests: epidemiology of chronic diseases; public health and prevention; childhood obesity; breast feeding; fermented food; food sustainability; plant-based diets; processed foods
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Guest Editor
1. Hellenic Food Authority, 124 Kifisias Av. & 2 Iatridou Str., 11526 Athens, Greece
2. Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Agricultural University of Athens, Iera Odos 75, 11855 Athens, Greece
Interests: nutrition; cardiovascular diseases; nutritional epidemiology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The increase in the volume of industrially processed products in the global food supply has coincided with an increasing prevalence of obesity and non-communicable diseases in many countries, suggesting that consumption of ultra-processed foods may be detrimental for human health. However, food reformulations to improve food quality and nutritional composition, such as fortifications, also lead to the classification of ultra-processed.

This Special Issue in Nutrients, entitled “Ultra-Processed Foods and Chronic Diseases Nutrients”, aims to explore the intriguing relationship between ultra-processed foods and health, offering a platform for groundbreaking research and insights even in the face of controversial findings.

At the heart of this Special Issue lies a quest to understand the potential effect of ultra-processed foods on chronic disease prevention. This Special Issue also aims to explore controversies such as whether all ultra-processed foods are unhealthy; whether there are differences between animal- and plant-based ultra-processed foods; whether the negative findings are only because of their high added sugars, saturated fats, and sodium; and what the impact is of novel foods which have beneficial effects on health even though they are considered ultra-processed.

We encourage submissions of research findings, reviews, and innovative studies that shed light on the significance of personalized nutrition in disease prevention. This Special Issue aims to contribute in shaping the future of nutritional science and to explore the link between ultra-processed foods and chronic disease prevention from observational and clinical trials.

Dr. Emmanuella Magriplis
Prof. Dr. Antonis Zampelas
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2900 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nutrition
  • chronic disease
  • dietary patterns
  • disease prevention
  • health outcomes
  • prevention strategies
  • plant-based food
  • fermented food

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 545 KiB  
Article
Association Between Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Metabolic Disorders in Children and Adolescents with Obesity
by Gyeong-yoon Lee, Joo Hyun Lim, Hyojee Joung and Dankyu Yoon
Nutrients 2024, 16(20), 3524; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16203524 - 17 Oct 2024
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: We investigated the effects of ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption on metabolic disorders (e.g., adiposity, metabolic associated steatotic liver disease [MASLD], and insulin resistance) in children and adolescents with obesity to improve dietary guidelines and public health strategies. Methods: The dietary intake of [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: We investigated the effects of ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption on metabolic disorders (e.g., adiposity, metabolic associated steatotic liver disease [MASLD], and insulin resistance) in children and adolescents with obesity to improve dietary guidelines and public health strategies. Methods: The dietary intake of 149 participants (aged 8–17 years) was assessed with food diaries. The NOVA classification system was used to classify food according to the degree of processing. Metabolic outcomes, including the fat mass index (FMI), hepatic fat percentage, and insulin resistance, were measured via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF), and biochemical analysis, respectively. Results: Greater UPF consumption from baseline to the 6-month follow-up was significantly associated with increased insulin and decreased total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. UPF consumption was positively associated with the prevalence of MASLD (liver MRI-PDFF ≥ 5%; odds ratio T3 vs. T1 = 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03, 3.00), moderate-to-severe MASLD (liver MRI-PDFF ≥ 10%; OR T3 vs. T1 = 4.19; 95% CI 1.72, 10.22), and insulin resistance (OR T3 vs. T1 = 2.44; 95% CI 1.33, 4.48), after adjusting for covariates. A linear dose-response relationship was observed between UPF consumption and the odds of moderate-to-severe MASLD and insulin resistance. Conclusions: Greater UPF consumption was strongly associated with MASLD and insulin resistance in children and adolescents with obesity, underscoring the importance of reducing UPF consumption through dietary guidelines and public health interventions to mitigate the risk of obesity-related metabolic conditions in young populations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ultra-Processed Foods and Chronic Diseases Nutrients)
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11 pages, 502 KiB  
Article
Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Screening Questionnaire of Highly Processed Food Consumption (sQ-HPF)
by Nazlıcan Erdoğan Gövez, Eda Köksal, Celia Martinez-Perez and Lidia Daimiel
Nutrients 2024, 16(15), 2552; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16152552 - 3 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1492
Abstract
The global consumption of highly (ultra) processed foods (HPFs) is increasing, and it is associated with non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Screening Questionnaire of Highly Processed Food Consumption (sQ-HPF). This study included 94 adults. Sociodemographic [...] Read more.
The global consumption of highly (ultra) processed foods (HPFs) is increasing, and it is associated with non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to assess the validity and reliability of the Screening Questionnaire of Highly Processed Food Consumption (sQ-HPF). This study included 94 adults. Sociodemographic data were collected, and anthropometric and blood pressure measurements were performed. The sQ-HPF was translated into Turkish and culturally adapted. Dietary intake was assessed using three-day dietary records. Factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha were used to evaluate the validity and consistency of the sQ-HPF. Test–retest reliability was assessed with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). Three items from the original sQ-HPF were excluded due to low factor loadings. The Kaiser–Meyer Olkin (KMO) coefficient for the measure of sample adequacy was found to be 0.642 and Bartlett’s test of sphericity was found to be significant (p < 0.001). A significant correlation was found between the sQ-HPF score and HPF consumption derived from the 3-day dietary records (p < 0.05). Cronbach’s alpha was found to be 0.65. Individuals with higher sQ-HPF scores consumed a significantly greater percentage of energy from HPFs (kcal/day) (p < 0.001). The sQ-HPF demonstrated good test–retest reliability (ICC = 0.76). The Turkish version of the sQ-HPF is a valid and reliable tool for assessing HPF consumption patterns and can be used in epidemiological and clinical studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Ultra-Processed Foods and Chronic Diseases Nutrients)
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