A new survey by Cambridge University (CU) researchers reveals that British kids get 66 percent of their Calories from UPFs (Ultra-Processed Foods). They warn, that heralds a major health crisis as the kids age. And government controls are needed on junk food..
According to the preamble to the survey report, “[UPF]s have been suggested as one of the key drivers of the global rise in diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.” And UPFs may be even more dangerous to still-growing kids.
What they found
The researchers analysed data from four-day food diaries of almost 3,000 adolescents in the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey between 2008/09 and 2018/19.
What they found
The central finding of the study, published in the European Journal of Nutrition, was that of 66 percent of UK adolescents’ energy intake came from UPF consumption during this period. But the other key findings deserve our attention:
- Adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds consumed a higher proportion of their calorie intake from UPFs compared to adolescents from less disadvantaged backgrounds.
- Adolescents from a non-white ethnicity consumed a lower proportion of their calorie intake from UPFs.
- Adolescents living in the North of England consumed a higher proportion of their calorie intake from UPFs compared with those living in the South of England and London.
- 18-year-olds consumed a lower proportion of their calorie intake from UPFs compared with 11-year-olds.
The study’s first author, Dr. Yanaina Chavez-Ugalde from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, said: “Adolescents’ food patterns and practices are influenced by many factors, including their home environment, the marketing they are exposed to and the influence of their friends and peers. But adolescence is also an important time in our lives where behaviours begin to become ingrained.
Her bottom line: “Their consumption is at a much higher level than is ideal, given their potential negative health impacts.”
The takeaway
It’s not just the availability of UPFs at lower prices than more healthy foods that is in play. Easy access and more-attractive (and addictive) ingredient profiles tend to lead more kids to junk foods. And there’s also the reality that the older kids get, the more say they have over what they choose to eat. And the more guidance they need.
Chavez-Ugalde concludes: “Our findings suggest that disparities in consumption of ultra-processed foods are not just down to individual choices. We hope this evidence can help guide policymakers in designing more effective policies to combat the negative effects of ultra-processed food consumption among youth and the ripple effects this has on public health.”
My take
The good doctor is right, of course. But governments have tried implementing rules and regulations designed to curb the sales appeal and availability of UPFs before. And those measures have largely failed.
I see an overall shift in folks’ food choices as we, the human race, move toward the inevitable plant-dominated diet. We’ll all have to adopt as animal protein becomes every-more unsustainable. I have already decided to shift, gradually, starting now, to legumes balanced with grains. And complete-protein plant sources such as Quinoa. I’ve also vowed to get rid of animal fats altogether in my diet. Over time. I still have a great emotional attachment to butter…
In parallel with this mega-shift, I see UPFs becoming healthier by default. The stuff that’s so bad for us – saturated fats and added sugars – will be harder to get and more expensive. It’s already happening. There have been not one but two vegetable oil price crises across the world market in the past 5 years.
One major source of UPFs in today’s world is the Fast Food sector. I also predict that their menus and food ‘culture’ will change in major ways over the next decade. For many of the same reasons UPFs will become healthier…
~ Maggie J.