Few things are universal when it comes to eating and dieting, but everyone seems to agree that ultra-processed food is almost always bad for you. So, it’s pretty concerning that young people are eating so much of it. According to a new study that focused on the UK, two-thirds of what adolescents (aged 11 to 18) eat is ultra-processed food. 

Chips, nuggets and sodas

Although ultra-processed foods (UPFs) don’t really have a strict definition, we can understand them pretty intuitively. They’re industrially manufactured foods containing refined sugars, fats, oils, preservatives, etc. If you look at a product’s ingredients and it has weird stuff you would never have at home — it’s probably a UPF. When it has a long shelf life even though it shouldn’t — it’s probably a UPF. If it’s wrapped in plastic — particularly appealing, brightly colored plastic — it’s probably a UPF. Common examples include soft drinks, packaged snacks, meat products, and pre-prepared meals, but even some cereal or meats can be UPFs. 

Over the past few decades, UPFs have increasingly been linked with obesity mostly because, in addition to the preservatives, they tend to incorporate a lot of sugar and fat. We have also linked them to various diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer. However, UPFs are very appealing; for a large part of the population, they’re so good they’re hard to give up.

That part also includes teenagers.

This new study assessed data from 4-day food diaries of 3,000 adolescents in the UK. These were gathered between 2008 and 2019. The study revealed that the mean UPF consumption among UK adolescents was 861 grams per day, accounting for 65.9% of their total energy intake. Adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds consumed more UPFs (68%), while teens from non-white backgrounds consumed less (59% compared to over 67% for white participants). Boys also tended to consume more UPFs than girls.

Dr. Yanaina Chavez-Ugalde from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit at the University of Cambridge, the study’s first author, 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 behaviors begin to become ingrained.”

Dr. Chavez-Ugalde added, “It’s clear from our findings that ultra-processed foods make up the majority of adolescents’ diets, and their consumption is at a much higher level than is ideal, given their potential negative health impacts.”

Not all bad news

Although the overall consumption was concerningly high, the trend showed a slow decrease in UPF consumption.  From 2008 to 2019, average UPF consumption decreased from 996 to 776 grams per day, and from 67.7% to 62.8% of total energy intake. This downward trend suggests a positive shift towards healthier eating habits among UK adolescents.

This could be due to increased public awareness and health concerns particularly associated with sugar consumption, although this is still speculative. However, it’s clear that this is shaping up to be a major health crisis and an important contributor to inequality. It’s not just individual choices that shape UPF consumption, says Esther van Sluijs from the MRC Epidemiology Unit at Cambridge, joint senior author.

“Ultra-processed foods offer convenient and often cheaper solutions to time- and income-poor families, but unfortunately many of these foods also offer poor nutritional value. This could be contributing to the inequalities in health we see emerging across childhood and adolescence.”

Zoi Toumpakari, co-senior author, says Future research should focus on understanding the underlying mechanisms driving UPF consumption and its health impacts. Investigating the role of marketing, pricing strategies, and food environment changes can provide deeper insights into effective strategies for reducing UPF intake. 

“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.”

This will not be an easy fight, however.

Journal Reference: Chavez-Ugalde, Y et al. Ultra-processed food consumption in UK adolescents: distribution, trends, and sociodemographic correlates using the National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008/09 to 2018/19, European Journal of Nutrition (2024). DOI: 10.1007/s00394-024-03458-z