ArticleThe American journal of clinical nutrition2026
Early-Life Cumulative Intake of Ultra-Processed Foods and Subcortical Brain Volume at Age Six Years: A Prospective Cohort Study.
Article in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundDiet quality during early life may influence neurodevelopmental trajectories, but the associations between ultra-processed food (UPF) intake and neurocognitive outcomes has not been broadly examined.
objectiveTo examine whether cumulative UPF intake from infancy through early childhood is associated with cognitive performance at 24 and 72 months and with subcortical brain volumes at 72 months.
methodsIn this prospective birth cohort study, multiple 24-hour dietary assessments were used to calculate the percentage of UPF-calorie intake, using the Nova classification system. Cumulative UPF intake from 6 to 24 and from 6 to 72 months was summarized as the area under the curve. Cognitive performance was assessed at 24 and 72 months, and subcortical brain volumes were derived from T1-weighted MRI scans at 72 months. Associations were examined using multiple univariate linear regressions with false discovery rate (FDR) correction.
resultsCumulative UPF intake was not associated with cognitive performance at either 24 months (n=144, 57% girls) or 72 months (n=93, 59% girls). In contrast, cumulative UPF intake from 6 to 72 months (n=79, 58% girls) was inversely associated with the volumes of the bilateral accumbens, left amygdala, bilateral pallidum, left putamen, and bilateral thalamus (all FDR-adjusted p < 0.05). On average, a 10% higher proportion of cumulative UPF intake was associated with a 1.92% lower subcortical volume (CI95% -3.29, -0.58). Associations were consistent across exposure windows (6-24 months compared with 72 months) and UPF subtypes (e.g., snacks, fast food).
conclusionsGreater cumulative UPF intake from infancy through early childhood was associated with differences in neurodevelopment at age six years. These findings highlight this period as a potentially relevant window for nutrition-focused prevention efforts. Future studies are needed to clarify specific windows, neurobiological mechanisms, identify specific nutritional factors, and define long-term implications.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.