Association Between Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Metabolic Disorders in Children and Adolescents with Obesity.

Background/objectives: We investigated the effects of ultraprocessed food (UPF) consumption on metabolic disorders (e.g., adiposity, metabolic associated steatotic liver disease [MASLD], and insulin resistance) in children and adolescents with obesity to improve dietary guidelines and public health strategies.

Methods: The dietary intake of 149 participants (aged 8-17 years) was assessed with food diaries. The NOVA classification system was used to classify food according to the degree of processing. Metabolic outcomes, including the fat mass index (FMI), hepatic fat percentage, and insulin resistance, were measured via dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), magnetic resonance imaging proton density fat fraction (MRI-PDFF), and biochemical analysis, respectively.

Results: Greater UPF consumption from baseline to the 6-month follow-up was significantly associated with increased insulin and decreased total cholesterol and LDL-cholesterol. UPF consumption was positively associated with the prevalence of MASLD (liver MRI-PDFF ≥ 5%; odds ratio = 1.75; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.03, 3.00), moderate-to-severe MASLD (liver MRI-PDFF ≥ 10%; OR = 4.19; 95% CI 1.72, 10.22), and insulin resistance (OR = 2.44; 95% CI 1.33, 4.48), after adjusting for covariates. A linear dose-response relationship was observed between UPF consumption and the odds of moderate-to-severe MASLD and insulin resistance.

Conclusions: Greater UPF consumption was strongly associated with MASLD and insulin resistance in children and adolescents with obesity, underscoring the importance of reducing UPF consumption through dietary guidelines and public health interventions to mitigate the risk of obesity-related metabolic conditions in young populations.