Children who eat more ultraprocessed foods show stronger brain responses to appetizing foods
A new study published in JAMA Network Open indicates that children who consume more ultraprocessed foods exhibit stronger brain reward responses to food cues. These neurological patterns are associated with increased body fat over time.
Why it matters
Understanding the link between processed food consumption and brain development is critical for addressing childhood obesity and public health policy.
edited by Swati Mestri , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add to Preferred Sources Credit: Brett Jordan from Pexels Children who eat more ultraprocessed foods (UPFs) show stronger responses in the brain's reward network when viewing images of appetizing foods—and these brain responses are linked to increases in body fat one year later.
The findings, published in JAMA Network Open , suggest that the brain may become more sensitive to food cues when children consume more UPFs. The study is available here .
UPFs are manufactured food products—such as breakfast cereals, packaged bread and instant soups—that are designed to be highly palatable, convenient and shelf-stable. They often contain artificial sweeteners, colors and other ingredients that people do not typically use when cooking at home.
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