ArticleBMJ open2018
Consumption of ultra-processed foods and associated sociodemographic factors in the USA between 2007 and 2012: evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional study.
Article in BMJ open, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 228 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
228 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Association of combined ultra-processed food intake (ultra-processed dietary pattern) with cognitive function impairment: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies.Journal of neurology · 2026Pooled it
- Who consumes ultra-processed food? A systematic review of sociodemographic determinants of ultra-processed food consumption from nationally representative samples.Nutrition research reviews · 2024Pooled it
- Examination of the nutritional intake of patients undergoing opioid replacement therapy: A systematic review.Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia · 2023Pooled it
- Ultra-processed food consumption and increased risk of metabolic syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.Frontiers in nutrition · 2023Pooled it
- A Systematic Review of Worldwide Consumption of Ultra-Processed Foods: Findings and Criticisms.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- The Influence of Ultraprocessed Food Consumption on Energy Intake in Emerging Adulthood: A Controlled Feeding Trial.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2026Trial
- Ultra-processed food consumption and BMI-Z among children at risk for obesity from low-income households.Pediatric obesity · 2023Trial
- Reliability and validity of assigning ultraprocessed food categories to 24-h dietary recall data.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2023Trial
- Integrative development of a short screening questionnaire of highly processed food consumption (sQ-HPF).The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2022Trial
- Ultra-Processed Foods as a Cross-Cutting Driver of Health Inequities: Low- and Middle-Income Countries Across the Life-Course.Nutrients · 2026Review
- The change in epidemiological characteristics and utilization of health services for the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer: A hospital-based retrospective survey.Clinics (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2026Article
- Ultra-Processed Food Dietary Patterns and Obesity: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of NHANES 2021-2023.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Associations of Ultra-Processed Foods and Executive Function in Children With Obesity and Their Parents: A Cross-Sectional Study.Pediatric obesity · 2026Observational
- Association of Ultra-Processed Food Intake with Insulin Secretion and Sensitivity in Mexican American Children: Results from the SAFARI Study.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Metabolomic signature of ultra-processed foods and cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.Clinical nutrition (Edinburgh, Scotland) · 2026Article
- A cognitive dissonance-based intervention to reduce ultra-processed food intake: Protocol for a pilot randomized controlled trial.Contemporary clinical trials · 2026Article
- Contribution of Nova-classified ultraprocessed foods to energy and nutrient intakes in very old people: the Newcastle 85+ Study.BMJ open · 2026Observational
- Exploring the Connection Between Ultra-Processed Foods and Breast Cancer: From Adiposity to Inflammation and Beyond.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Article
- Ultra processed foods and their inputs increasingly dominate New Zealand's food and beverage imports: a retrospective analysis.Globalization and health · 2026Article
168 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo compare ultra-processed food consumption across sociodemographic groups and over time (2007-2008, 2009-2010, 2011-2012) in the USA.
designCross-sectional study.
settingNational Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007-2012.
participantsAll individuals aged ≥2 years with at least one 24-hour dietary recall were included (n=23 847).
main outcome measuresAverage dietary contribution of ultra-processed foods (expressed as a percentage of the total caloric value of the diet), obtained after classifying all food items according to extent and purpose of industrial food processing using NOVA classification. DATA ANALYSIS: Linear regression was used to evaluate the association between sociodemographic characteristics or NHANES cycles and dietary contribution of ultra-processed foods.
resultsAlmost 60% of calories consumed in the period 2007-2012 came from ultra-processed foods. Consumption of ultra-processed foods decreased with age and income level, was higher for non-Hispanic whites or non-Hispanic blacks than for other race/ethnicity groups and lower for people with college than for lower levels of education, all differences being statistically significant. Overall contribution of ultra-processed foods increased significantly between NHANES cycles (nearly 1% point per cycle), the same being observed among males, adolescents and high school education-level individuals.
conclusionsUltra-processed food consumption in the USA in the period 2007-2012 was overall high, greater among non-Hispanic whites or non-Hispanic blacks, less educated, younger, lower-income strata and increased across time.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.