Unprocessed Vs Ultra-Processed: Impact on Diet Quality and Chronic Disease Risk

Unprocessed, minimally processed food consumption was linked to good diet quality, while ultra-processed foods consumption was linked to poor diet quality.

Highlights:

A study examined the association between unprocessed and minimally processed foods (UMP) and ultra-processed foods (UPF) consumption and three diet-quality metrics (AHEI-2010, aMED, and DASH-diet score) among male and female health professionals in the US from 1986 to 2010
UMP foods (preservative-free vegetables, fruits, whole grains, etc.) are high in nutrients and linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases, while UPF foods (ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat items) are associated with poor diet quality and chronic diseases
The study found a direct correlation between UMP intake and good diet quality and an inverse correlation between UPF intake and good diet quality, supporting the link between UMP and UPF consumption and chronic diseases

Researchers conducted a cohort study among female and male health professionals in the United States of America between 1986 and 2010, according to a recent article published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The researchers looked at whether eating unprocessed and minimally processed foods (UMP) and ultra-processed foods (UPF) was linked to three diet-quality metrics: the alternate healthy eating index (AHEI)-2010, the Mediterranean diet index (aMED), and the dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH)-diet score.

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‘New study finds a link between consuming unprocessed and minimally processed foods (UMP) and good diet quality, while ultra-processed foods (UPF) are linked to poor diet quality. Choosing UMP foods can lower the risk of chronic diseases.’

NOVA Classification System and its Impact on Diet-Related Chronic Diseases

The NOVA classification system created two of the four food-processing categories, UMP and UPF. UMP foods include preservative- and additive-free vegetables, nuts, fruits, whole grains, and animal-derived foods. These foods are also high in nutrients, as they contain vitamins, minerals, and mono- and polyunsaturated fats (MUFA and PUFA, respectively).

UPF foods include ready-to-eat and ready-to-heat items such as factory-made bread, sweet and savoury snacks, and sugar-sweetened beverages. UPF consumption has also been identified as a risk factor for chronic diseases.

Consuming UMP foods has been linked to a lower risk of chronic diseases. However, it is unknown whether UMP and UPF consumption is linked to diet-quality factors, and whether UMP and UPF intake and diet quality has changed over time.

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Cohort Study among US Health Professionals

The Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) were both invited to participate in the current study (HPFS).

The NHS, which began in 1986 and lasted until 2010, employed 121,700 female registered nurses aged 30 to 55. In comparison, the HPFS, which began in 1986 and ended in 2006, included 51,529 male health professionals aged 40 to 75.

The team used a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (SQFFQ) sent every four years to gather data on each participant's diet and lifestyle to test the hypothesis that higher average diet quality scores would correlate with lower UPF and higher UMP intake over time. Every two years, all study participants completed a mailed questionnaire on medical history and health-related behaviour.

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Correlation between Unprocessed and Minimally Processed Foods Intake and Diet Quality Metrics

In each cycle, approximately 90% of study participants responded. Diet quality scores varied significantly among all study participants according to UMP and UPF intake quintiles, with these associations changing slightly over time. Diet quality scores increased with increasing quintiles of UMP intake.

The findings supported the hypothesis that all diet-quality metrics were inversely related to UPF intake quintiles. When expressed as an energy percentage, changes in diet-quality metrics per quintile of UMP and UPF intakes correlated with aMED.

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Association between UPF Intake and Poor Diet Quality

The current study's methodology established a link between UMP intake and diet quality metrics. Notably, none of the three diet-quality metrics evaluated in this study directly considered the level of food processing.

The unique nutrient composition of UMP and UPF intakes and diet quality explained the correlation. UMP consumption provided the body with multivitamins, minerals, and unsaturated fats, which reduced the risk of non-infectious disease. The characteristics of diet-quality metrics explained the observed correlation between UMP food consumption and the three evaluated diet-quality metrics.

A diet high in UMP foods, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and unprocessed cereals, resulted in high aMED scores. Surprisingly, the aMED included moderate wine consumption during meals; however, the UMP and UPF categories did not include alcoholic beverages.

There was a link found between UMP consumption and good diet quality, and UPF consumption and poor diet quality. Furthermore, a direct correlation was found between UMP intake and AHEI-2010, aMED, and DASH-diet scores, while an inverse correlation was found between UPP intake and these three diet scores. The observed associations were not temporally consistent, which was due in part to changes in the processing categories or SQFFQ.

Source-Medindia