High ultraprocessed food intake linked to overweight, obesity in young boys
Key takeaways:
- Nearly half of toddlers’ daily calorie intake was ultraprocessed foods.
- Boys who at high amounts of ultraprocessed foods were 19% more likely to develop overweight or obesity.
Young boys who ate a greater proportion of ultraprocessed foods were more likely to develop overweight or obesity by age 5 years, according to findings published in JAMA Network Open.
“Ultraprocessed food is characterized as energy dense, and excess energy intake is known to be associated with obesity development,” Zheng Hao Chen, BSc, a PhD student in the department of nutritional sciences at University of Toronto, and colleagues wrote. “The high saturated fat, sodium and sugar content make ultraprocessed foods hyperpalatable, which may drive overconsumption.”
Data derived from Chen ZH, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.57341.
Previous research reported that high consumption of ultraprocessed foods decreased cardiovascular fitness in children and increased risks for heart disease, stroke and death in adults. The FDA proposed a new rule earlier this month that would simplify nutrition labels on packaged foods.
Chen and colleagues investigated dietary patterns and weight outcomes for 2,217 children (53% boys) in the CHILD Cohort Study in Canada. The CHILD study collected data on children’s dietary intake at age 3 years and measured their BMI and other physical attributes at age 5 years.
The authors noted that North America has the highest consumption of ultraprocessed foods in the world. A study of 2016 sales data reported that Canada and the United States rank in the top 10 countries with the highest ultraprocessed food sales, and ultraprocessed drink sales were highest in the United States.
The researchers classified food items into four categories: unprocessed or minimally processed, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods and ultraprocessed foods.
At age 3 years, 45% of participants’ daily calorie intake were ultraprocessed foods, whereas 37.5% came from unprocessed or minimally processed foods, Chen and colleagues reported. A larger proportion of boys’ diets consisted of ultraprocessed food, compared with girls (46% vs. 43.9%; P < .001)
By age 5 years, 20% of the children in the study were diagnosed with overweight or obesity (257 boys, and 181 girls).
The researchers did not find a significant association between ultraprocessed food intake and adiposity measures among girls.
Boys who consumed more than 45% of their daily calories from ultraprocessed foods had 19% higher odds of developing overweight or obesity (OR = 1.19; 95% CI, 1.02-1.36). Every 10% additional intake of ultraprocessed food increased boys’ BMI z scores (B-estimate, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.03-0.14), waist to height ratios (B-estimate, 0.07; 95% CI, 0.01-0.12), subscapular skinfold thickness (B-estimate, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.06-0.18) and triceps skinfold thickness (B-estimate, 0.09; 95% CI, 0.03-0.15). The researchers found similar patterns when adjusting for BMI, overweight or obesity status at age 3 years.
“Previous studies have shown sex differences in diet intake since early childhood,” Chen and colleagues wrote. “Males are reported to consume more calorie-dense foods. This aligns with our study findings where ultraprocessed food energy contribution was higher in males.”
References:
- Chen ZH, et al. JAMA Netw Open. 2025;doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.57341.
- Vandevijvere S, et al. Obesity Rev. 2019;doi:10.1111/obr.12860.
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