High UPF intake linked to childhood obesity

Consuming high amounts of ultraprocessed food (UPF) during early childhood is associated with obesity development, particularly in males, according to a Canadian study.

UPF consumption is increasing worldwide and parallels a rise in obesity, said the researchers. “Over the years, UPF has become widely available in Canadian retail stores, leading to an increase in consumption. Data from the 2015 Canadian Community Health Survey found that UPF contributed to >50 percent of daily energy intake for children and adolescents.”

“Adult studies have already demonstrated that high UPF intake is associated with obesity and adiposity-related outcomes. However, associations between UPF intake and obesity and adiposity among children are inconsistent,” the researchers noted.

Using data from the CHILD cohort study, the researchers conducted a prospective study involving 2,217 children (median age 5 years, 53 percent male) to assess the association between UPF intake and anthropometric adiposity indicators (eg, body mass index [BMI], waist-to-height ratio, and subscapular and triceps skinfold thicknesses) and obesity status. Diet intake data and anthropometric measurements were assessed at 3 and 5 years of age, respectively. [JAMA Network Open 2025;doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.57341]

Among children aged 3 years, 45 percent of their total daily energy intake was derived from UPF, followed by minimally processed foods (37.5 percent), processed foods (15.1 percent), and processed culinary ingredients (2.4 percent).

However, UPF energy contribution was significantly higher among males than females (46.0 percent vs 43.9 percent; p<0.001).

Accordingly, in the male cohort, a 10-percent increase in UPF consumption was associated with an increase in z-scores for BMI (β, 0.08), waist-to-height ratio (β, 0.07), subscapular skinfold thickness (β, 0.12), and triceps skinfold thickness (β, 0.09).

On the other hand, no significant correlation was observed between UPF intake and z-scores in the female cohort.

At 5 years of age, approximately 20 percent of the participants were overweight (BMI z-score >1) or obese (BMI z-score >2), but this finding was more prevalent in males than females (11.6 percent vs 8.2 percent).

“Overall, we found a significant association between higher UPF intake at 3 years of age and higher z-scores of anthropometric adiposity indicators at 5 years of age among Canadian children, with stronger effect estimates among males,” said the researchers.

“To the best of our knowledge, this is one of the first prospective Canadian studies to examine early childhood UPF intake and obesity development and one of the first worldwide to demonstrate associations primarily driven by males,” the researchers noted.