Articlenpj metabolic health and disease2025
Ultra-processed food consumption affects structural integrity of feeding-related brain regions independent of and via adiposity.
Article in npj metabolic health and disease, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
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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
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Ultraprocessed Food Intake and Adiposity, Vascular Brain Injury, and Cognition in Middle-Aged Adults.JAMA network open · 2026Article
- Enhanced Metabolic Risks in Patients with Obesity and Nutritional Deficiencies in the U.S.: A TriNetX Study.Nutrients · 2026Article
- Early-Life Cumulative Intake of Ultra-Processed Foods and Subcortical Brain Volume at Age Six Years: A Prospective Cohort Study.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2026Article
- The Gut-brain-adipose Axis in Ultra-processed Food and Obesity: A Mechanistic Synthesis and Its Implications for Food Classification.Current obesity reports · 2026Review
- Neuronal inhibitory mechanisms in overweight/obesity and food/eating addiction: The role of frontal brain coherence, dysregulated eating, and depressive symptoms.Journal of behavioral addictions · 2026Article
- Letter: Ultra-Processed Food Consumption and Obesity: A Narrative Review of Their Association and Potential Mechanisms (J Obes Metab Syndr 2025;34:27-40).Journal of obesity & metabolic syndrome · 2026Article
- Exploring the Connection Between Ultra-Processed Foods and Breast Cancer: From Adiposity to Inflammation and Beyond.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- Dietary patterns and neuropsychological function in adolescents: a cross-sectional and longitudinal study.BMC medicine · 2026Article
- Premenstrual syndrome-related quality of life: associations with ultra-processed food consumption, mindful eating, well-being, and social media addiction in women.BMC women's health · 2026Article
- Unravelling the obesity epidemic among young people in Qatar: a literature review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Review
- Examining ultra-processed food consumption and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms in children living in Kuwait.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Article
- Relationship between sugar-sweetened beverage and ultra-processed food intake: impact on leptin/adiponectin ratio in adolescents with obesity.Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2026Article
- Review
- Ultra-Processed Diets and Endocrine Disruption, Explanation of Missing Link in Rising Cancer Incidence Among Young Adults.Cancers · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Consumption of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) increases overall caloric intake and is associated with obesity, cardiovascular disease, and brain pathology. There is scant evidence as to why UPF consumption leads to increased caloric intake and whether the negative health consequences are due to adiposity or characteristics of UPFs. Using the UK Biobank sample, we probed the associations between UPF consumption, adiposity, metabolism, and brain structure. Our analysis reveals that high UPF intake is linked to adverse adiposity and metabolic profiles, alongside cellularity changes in feeding-related subcortical brain areas. These are partially mediated by dyslipidemia, systemic inflammation and body mass index, suggesting that UPFs exert effects on the brain beyond just contributing to obesity. This dysregulation of the network of subcortical feeding-related brain structures may create a self-reinforcing cycle of increased UPF consumption.
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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.