ArticleEuropean journal of nutrition2024
Ultra-processed food intake in toddlerhood and mid-childhood in the UK: cross sectional and longitudinal perspectives.
Article in European journal of nutrition, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Ultra-Processed Foods and Mental Health in Children and Adolescents: Evidence from a Systematic Review.Nutrients · 2026Pooled it
- Ultra-Processed Food Intake Is Associated with High Consumption of Added Sugar and Sodium in U.S. Infants.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Unhealthy Diets, Unhealthy Futures: How Modern Eating Patterns Endanger Maternal and Offspring Health.Nutrients · 2026Review
- Reproducibility of an 85-item Child Food Frequency Questionnaire (85-item Child-FFQ) and diet quality scores among Polish children: The cross-sectional PITNUTS 2024 study.BMC pediatrics · 2026Observational
- Lunches in UK early years education and care settings: cross-sectional analysis of food processing, provision and intake.Research square · 2026Article
- Why is there no regulation despite evidence that ultra-processed foods are hazardous to long-term health?Future healthcare journal · 2026Review
- Parental Perceptions of Healthy Eating and Actual Nutrient Intake: Analysis of the Nutritional Status of Children Aged 1-6 Years in Urban Areas of Central Kazakhstan.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026Article
- Ultra-processed food exposure and health outcomes: Current evidence, controversies, and future perspectives.EXCLI journal · 2026Review
- The impact of ultra-processed foods on pediatric health.Obesity pillars · 2025Review
- Commercial Baby Foods: Nutrition, Marketing and Motivations for Use-A Narrative Review.Maternal & child nutrition · 2025Review
- Ultra-Processed Foods and Markers of Systemic Inflammation in Children.Food science & nutrition · 2025Article
- The Regulation of Energy Intake in Infancy: A Narrative Review.Current obesity reports · 2025Review
- Packed Lunch Provision and Consumption in Early Years Settings in Sheffield: A Cross-Sectional Study.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2025Observational
- Overlap between ultra-processed food and food that is high in fat, salt or sugar: analysis of 11 annual waves of the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey 2008/2009-2018/2019.BMJ nutrition, prevention & health · 2025Article
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purpose(i) Characterize ultra-processed food (UPF) intakes in toddlerhood and mid-childhood, including identifying principal UPF sub-groups and associations with nutrient profile; (ii) explore stability and change in UPF intake between toddlerhood and mid-childhood.
methodsData were from children in the UK Gemini twin cohort at 21 months (n = 2,591) and 7 years (n = 592) of age. UPF intakes were estimated using diet diaries and Nova classification. Complex samples general linear or logistic regression models were used to explore associations between UPF intake, UPF sub-groups and nutrients, and changes in intake over time.
resultsThe contribution of UPF to total energy was 46.9% (± 14.7) at 21 months and 59.4% (± 12.5) at 7 years. Principal UPF sub-groups were yogurts, higher-fiber breakfast cereals, and wholegrain breads in toddlerhood, and puddings and sweet cereal products and white breads in mid-childhood. At both ages, mean free sugar and sodium intakes exceeded recommended maximums and higher UPF consumption was associated with consuming more of each nutrient (P < 0.001). UPF intake was negatively associated with fat, saturated fat and protein intake in toddlerhood, and fiber intake in mid-childhood (P < 0.001). Being in the highest UPF intake quintile in toddlerhood was predictive of being in the highest quintile in mid-childhood (OR 9.40, 95%CI 3.94-22.46).
conclusionsUPF accounted for nearly half of toddlers' energy, increasing to 59% in mid-childhood. Higher UPF consumers had higher intakes of free sugar and sodium. UPF intake in toddlerhood was predictive of mid-childhood intake. Effective policies are needed to reduce UPF intakes in the early years.
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