Children who consume more ultra-processed foods (UPFs) may have stronger brain responses to tempting foods, potentially helping explain why these products are associated with weight gain. A new study published in JAMA Network Open found that children who ate more of these foods showed heightened activity in the brain's reward system when looking at pictures of appetizing foods. Those stronger responses were also associated with increases in body fat over the following year.
Ultra-processed foods include many everyday products, such as breakfast cereals, packaged bread, and instant soups. They are manufactured to be appealing, convenient, and able to remain fresh for extended periods. Many contain artificial sweeteners, coloring agents, and other ingredients rarely used in home cooking.
These products make up a substantial portion of children's diets, accounting for approximately 67% of the calories consumed by children in the United States. Previous research has associated ultra-processed food consumption with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. However, scientists are still trying to understand the biological processes that might explain these connections.
The new investigation, supported in part by the National Institutes of Health, combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), dietary assessments, and measurements of children's body composition to explore whether the brain's response to food could play a role. "Children's brains are still developing, habits are still forming and food preferences are still being made. It's an important period where the brain is very sensitive to food and the food environment," said the study's senior author, Kathleen A.
Page, MD, professor of medicine and pediatrics and co-chief of the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. "We're particularly interested in understanding these processes in children, because we believe that intervening early could make a real difference." Brain Scans Reveal a Link to Future Weight Gain To investigate these connections, the research team studied 46 children between the ages of seven and 10 who were enrolled in the ongoing BrainChild study, which examines factors contributing to diabetes and obesity. Every participant had a healthy weight when the research began, giving scientists an opportunity to investigate potential warning signs before excess weight developed.
At the start of the study, the children underwent brain scans while looking at pictures of appealing foods (such as cookies or French fries). Researchers also gathered information about their diets and recorded several health measurements, including body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, and waist circumference. After one year, the team measured these physical characteristics again to identify changes.
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