Cut The CRAP! Highly processed foods dominate US grocers

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Cut The CRAP! Highly processed foods dominate US grocers

Postby JeffN » Wed Apr 01, 2015 5:04 pm

This should be no surprise to anyone familiar with my work, as I have been documenting this and presenting it in both my writings and presentations for many years. I also posted the most recent update to these figures in the thread, The Current American Diet - The Bad & The Ugly.

viewtopic.php?f=22&t=46988

The part that is not shown in any of the above charts/graphs and the study below is that the majority of the people who are buying this CRAP actually believe they are eating healthy because of the way this CRAP is advertised and marketed to them.

Highly processed foods dominate U. S. grocery purchases - More than 80 percent of calories were purchased in ready-to-eat or ready-to-heat form in 2012, and these tended to be higher in fat, sugar and salt (Highly processed foods made up more then 60% of calories)

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 141017.htm


Processed Foods the Biggest Chunk of Calories in U.S. Groceries: Study

http://consumer.healthday.com/vitamins- ... 97807.html


Are Food Processing and Convenience Linked with the Nutritional Quality of Foods Purchased by US Households?
April 2015 The FASEB Journal vol. 29 no. 1 Supplement 587.9

http://www.fasebj.org/content/29/1_Supp ... ed7d443e68

Abstract

Processed foods' contribution to US diet and nutrient content have not been accurately assessed. Our objective was to develop a multi-dimensional classification system for food processing, determine nationally representative trends in processed and convenience food purchasing, and compare nutrient profiles of less vs more processed foods. We analyzed food and beverage purchases of 157,142 households from the 2000-2012 Homescan longitudinal panel. We classified each of 1.2 million items by level of processing and separately by convenience using barcode-specific details and ingredients. We used quantile and logistic regression to compare nutrient content and adherence to nutrient recommendations. Over 3/4 of calories purchased by US households came from processed (15.9%) and ultra-processed (61.0%) foods and beverages in 2012 (939 kcal/d per capita). By convenience, ready-to-eat (68.1%) and ready-to-heat (15.2%) products supplied the majority of calories, with a significant upward trend in ready-to-heat foods between 2000 and 2012. The adjusted proportion of household-level food purchases exceeding recommended maximums for saturated fat, sugar, and sodium densities simultaneously was significantly higher for ultra-processed (60.4%) and ready-to-eat (27.1%) food purchases compared to purchases of less-processed foods (5.6%) or foods requiring cooking (4.9%). The unshifting dominance of ultra-processed and ready-to-eat foods as major calorie contributors to US diet and their poor nutrient profile support the need to incentivize food manufacturers to improve the nutritional quality of their products. Funding source: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (67506, 68793, 70017, 71837), NIH (R01DK098072), CPC 5 R24 HD050924
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Re: Cut The CRAP! Highly processed foods dominate US grocers

Postby JeffN » Thu Mar 10, 2016 7:44 am

Ultra-processed foods and added sugars in the US diet: evidence from a nationally representative cross-sectional study
BMJ Open 2016;6:e009892 doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2015-009892

Full Text
http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/6/3/e009892.full

Abstract

Objectives
To investigate the contribution of ultra-processed foods to the intake of added sugars in the USA. Ultra-processed foods were defined as industrial formulations which, besides salt, sugar, oils and fats, include substances not used in culinary preparations, in particular additives used to imitate sensorial qualities of minimally processed foods and their culinary preparations.

Design
Cross-sectional study.

Setting
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2009–2010.

Participants
We evaluated 9317 participants aged 1+ years with at least one 24 h dietary recall.

Main outcome measures
Average dietary content of added sugars and proportion of individuals consuming more than 10% of total energy from added sugars.

Data analysis
Gaussian and Poisson regressions estimated the association between consumption of ultra-processed foods and intake of added sugars. All models incorporated survey sample weights and adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, family income and educational attainment.

Results
Ultra-processed foods comprised 57.9% of energy intake, and contributed 89.7% of the energy intake from added sugars. The content of added sugars in ultra-processed foods (21.1% of calories) was eightfold higher than in processed foods (2.4%) and fivefold higher than in unprocessed or minimally processed foods and processed culinary ingredients grouped together (3.7%). Both in unadjusted and adjusted models, each increase of 5 percentage points in proportional energy intake from ultra-processed foods increased the proportional energy intake from added sugars by 1 percentage point. Consumption of added sugars increased linearly across quintiles of ultra-processed food consumption: from 7.5% of total energy in the lowest quintile to 19.5% in the highest. A total of 82.1% of Americans in the highest quintile exceeded the recommended limit of 10% energy from added sugars, compared with 26.4% in the lowest.

Conclusions
Decreasing the consumption of ultra-processed foods could be an effective way of reducing the excessive intake of added sugars in the USA.


Mainstream Article

More Than Half of What Americans Eat Is 'Ultra-Processed'
And those foods account for 90 percent of U.S. added sugar intake, new research says.
http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archi ... ed/472791/
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Re: Cut The CRAP! Highly processed foods dominate US grocers

Postby JeffN » Tue Feb 12, 2019 7:16 pm

Association Between Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Risk of Mortality Among Middle-aged Adults in France.
Schnabel L, Kesse-Guyot E, Allès B, Touvier M, Srour B, Hercberg S, Buscail C, Julia C.
JAMA Intern Med. 2019 Feb 11. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.7289. [Epub ahead of print]
PMID: 30742202

Abstract

IMPORTANCE:
Growing evidence indicates that higher intake of ultraprocessed foods is associated with higher incidence of noncommunicable diseases. However, to date, the association between ultraprocessed foods consumption and mortality risk has never been investigated.

OBJECTIVE:
To assess the association between ultraprocessed foods consumption and all-cause mortality risk.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS:
This observational prospective cohort study selected adults, 45 years or older, from the French NutriNet-Santé Study, an ongoing cohort study that launched on May 11, 2009, and performed a follow-up through December 15, 2017 (a median of 7.1 years). Participants were selected if they completed at least 1 set of 3 web-based 24-hour dietary records during their first 2 years of follow-up. Self-reported data were collected at baseline, including sociodemographic, lifestyle, physical activity, weight and height, and anthropometrics.

EXPOSURES:
The ultraprocessed foods group (from the NOVA food classification system), characterized as ready-to-eat or -heat formulations made mostly from ingredients usually combined with additives. Proportion (in weight) of ultraprocessed foods in the diet was computed for each participant.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES:
The association between proportion of ultraprocessed foods and overall mortality was the main outcome. Mean dietary intakes from all of the 24-hour dietary records available during the first 2 years of follow-up were calculated and considered as the baseline usual food-and-drink intakes. Mortality was assessed using CépiDC, the French national registry of specific mortality causes. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were determined for all-cause mortality, using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models, with age as the underlying time metric.

RESULTS:
A total of 44 551 participants were included, of whom 32 549 (73.1%) were women, with a mean (SD) age at baseline of 56.7 (7.5) years. Ultraprocessed foods accounted for a mean (SD) proportion of 14.4% (7.6%) of the weight of total food consumed, corresponding to a mean (SD) proportion of 29.1% (10.9%) of total energy intake. Ultraprocessed foods consumption was associated with younger age (45-64 years, mean [SE] proportion of food in weight, 14.50% [0.04%]; P < .001), lower income (<€1200/mo, 15.58% [0.11%]; P < .001), lower educational level (no diploma or primary school, 15.50% [0.16%]; P < .001), living alone (15.02% [0.07%]; P < .001), higher body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared; ≥30, 15.98% [0.11%]; P < .001), and lower physical activity level (15.56% [0.08%]; P < .001). A total of 602 deaths (1.4%) occurred during follow-up. After adjustment for a range of confounding factors, an increase in the proportion of ultraprocessed foods consumed was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR per 10% increment, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.04-1.27; P = .008).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE:
An increase in ultraprocessed foods consumption appears to be associated with an overall higher mortality risk among this adult population; further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings and to disentangle the various mechanisms by which ultraprocessed foods may affect health.
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Re: Cut The CRAP! Highly processed foods dominate US grocers

Postby JeffN » Wed Feb 13, 2019 3:47 pm

Ultra-processed diets cause excess calorie intake and weight gain: A one-month inpatient randomized controlled trial of ad libitum food intake
KD Hall1†,
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD.
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center, \
REVISION DATE: February 12, 2019

https://files.osf.io/v1/resources/w3zh2 ... n=2&direct

Summary
We investigated whether ultra-processed foods affect energy intake in 20 weight-stable adults, aged (mean±SE) 31.2±1.6 y and BMI=27±1.5 kg/m2. Subjects were admitted to the NIH Clinical Center and randomized to receive either ultra-processed or unprocessed diets for 2 weeks immediately followed by the alternate diet for 2 weeks. Meals were designed to be matched for presented calories, energy density, macronutrients, sugar, sodium, and fiber. Subjects were instructed to consume as much or as little as desired. Energy intake was greater during the ultra-processed diet (508±106 kcal/d; p=0.0001), with increased consumption of carbohydrate (280±54 kcal/d; p<0.0001) and fat (230±53 kcal/d; p=0.0004) but not protein (-2±12 kcal/d; p=0.85). Weight changes were highly correlated with energy intake (r=0.8, p<0.0001) with participants gaining 0.8±0.3 kg (p=0.01) during the ultra-processed diet and losing 1.1±0.3 kg (p=0.001) during the unprocessed diet. Limiting consumption of ultra- processed foods may be an effective strategy for obesity prevention and treatment.
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Re: Cut The CRAP! Highly processed foods dominate US grocers

Postby JeffN » Wed Apr 03, 2019 2:25 pm

Association Between Ultraprocessed Food Consumption and Risk of Mortality Among Middle-aged Adults in France
JAMA Intern Med. 2019;179(4):490-498. doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.7289

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamain ... le/2723626

Key Points
Question Is high consumption of ultraprocessed food associated with an increase in overall mortality risk?

Findings In this cohort study of 44 551 French adults 45 years or older, a 10% increase in the proportion of ultraprocessed food consumption was statistically significantly associated with a 14% higher risk of all-cause mortality.

Meaning An increase in ultraprocessed food consumption may be associated with an overall higher mortality risk; further prospective research is needed to confirm these findings.

Abstract
Importance Growing evidence indicates that higher intake of ultraprocessed foods is associated with higher incidence of noncommunicable diseases. However, to date, the association between ultraprocessed foods consumption and mortality risk has never been investigated.

Objective To assess the association between ultraprocessed foods consumption and all-cause mortality risk.

Design, Setting, and Participants This observational prospective cohort study selected adults, 45 years or older, from the French NutriNet-Santé Study, an ongoing cohort study that launched on May 11, 2009, and performed a follow-up through December 15, 2017 (a median of 7.1 years). Participants were selected if they completed at least 1 set of 3 web-based 24-hour dietary records during their first 2 years of follow-up. Self-reported data were collected at baseline, including sociodemographic, lifestyle, physical activity, weight and height, and anthropometrics.

Exposures The ultraprocessed foods group (from the NOVA food classification system), characterized as ready-to-eat or -heat formulations made mostly from ingredients usually combined with additives. Proportion (in weight) of ultraprocessed foods in the diet was computed for each participant.

Main Outcomes and Measures The association between proportion of ultraprocessed foods and overall mortality was the main outcome. Mean dietary intakes from all of the 24-hour dietary records available during the first 2 years of follow-up were calculated and considered as the baseline usual food-and-drink intakes. Mortality was assessed using CépiDC, the French national registry of specific mortality causes. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs were determined for all-cause mortality, using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models, with age as the underlying time metric.

Results A total of 44 551 participants were included, of whom 32 549 (73.1%) were women, with a mean (SD) age at baseline of 56.7 (7.5) years. Ultraprocessed foods accounted for a mean (SD) proportion of 14.4% (7.6%) of the weight of total food consumed, corresponding to a mean (SD) proportion of 29.1% (10.9%) of total energy intake. Ultraprocessed foods consumption was associated with younger age (45-64 years, mean [SE] proportion of food in weight, 14.50% [0.04%]; P < .001), lower income (<€1200/mo, 15.58% [0.11%]; P < .001), lower educational level (no diploma or primary school, 15.50% [0.16%]; P < .001), living alone (15.02% [0.07%]; P < .001), higher body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared; ≥30, 15.98% [0.11%]; P < .001), and lower physical activity level (15.56% [0.08%]; P < .001). A total of 602 deaths (1.4%) occurred during follow-up. After adjustment for a range of confounding factors, an increase in the proportion of ultraprocessed foods consumed was associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality (HR per 10% increment, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.04-1.27; P = .008).

Conclusions and Relevance An increase in ultraprocessed foods consumption appears to be associated with an overall higher mortality risk among this adult population; further prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings and to disentangle the various mechanisms by which ultraprocessed foods may affect health.
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Re: Cut The CRAP! Highly processed foods dominate US grocers

Postby JeffN » Tue Jul 30, 2019 5:28 am

And it just keeps getting worse...

America’s packaged food supply is ultra-processed
July 24, 2019
Kristin Samuelson
Northwestern News

https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2 ... processed/

Americans are over-exposed to products that are high in calories, saturated fat, sugar and salt

Since about 80% of Americans’ total calorie consumption comes from store-bought foods and beverages (packaged and unpackaged), the food and beverage supply plays a central role in the development of chronic disease including obesity and cardiovascular disease.

As classified by the NOVA Food Classification Systemdeveloped at the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil, “ultra-processed food and beverages” is the fourth and final group of foods that “are industrial formulations made entirely or mostly from substances extracted from foods (oils, fats, sugar, starch and proteins).” They are derived from hydrogenated fats and modified starch, and are synthesized in laboratories.

The scientists analyzed 230,156 products and, using the NOVA classification system, found 71% of products such as bread, salad dressings, snack foods, sweets, sugary drinks and more were ultra-processed. Among the top 25 manufacturers by sales volume, 86% of products were classified as ultra-processed.


Full text
The Healthfulness of the US Packaged Food and Beverage Supply: A Cross-Sectional Study
Nutrients 2019, 11(8), 1704; https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11081704

https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/8/1704

Abstract

The US food supply is dominated by highly-processed packaged food and beverage products that are high in energy, saturated fat, sugar, and salt. We report results of a cross-sectional assessment of the 2018 US packaged food and beverage supply by nutritional composition and indicators of healthfulness and level of processing. Data were obtained through Label Insight’s Open Data database, which represents >80% of all food and beverage products sold in the US over the past three years. Healthfulness and the level of processing, measured by the Health Star Rating (HSR) system and the NOVA classification framework, respectively, were compared across product categories and leading manufacturers. Among 230,156 food and beverage products, the mean HSR was 2.7 (standard deviation (SD) 1.4) from a possible maximum rating of 5.0, and 71% of products were classified as ultra-processed. Healthfulness and level of processing varied substantially by category (range: HSR 1.1–3.9; 0–100% ultra-processed) and manufacturer (range: HSR 0.9–4.6; 26–100% ultra-processed). The US packaged food and beverage supply is large, heterogeneous, highly processed, and generally unhealthy. The wide variability in healthfulness and level of processing demonstrates that opportunities exist, through reformulation or replacement, for large-scale improvements to the healthfulness of the US packaged food and beverage supply.
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Re: Cut The CRAP! Highly processed foods dominate US grocers

Postby JeffN » Thu Nov 07, 2019 3:07 pm

Imagine if they used my guidelines!!

Hyper‐Palatable Foods: Development of a Quantitative Definition and Application to the US Food System Database

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/ful ... /oby.22639

Abstract
Objective
Extensive research has focused on hyper‐palatable foods (HPF); however, HPF are defined using descriptive terms (e.g., fast foods, sweets), which are not standardized and lack specificity. The study purpose was to develop a quantitative definition of HPF and apply the definition to the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies (FNDDS) to determine HPF prevalence in the US food system.

Methods
A numeric definition of HPF was developed by extracting common HPF descriptive definitions from the literature and using nutrition software to quantify ingredients of fat, simple sugars, carbohydrates, and sodium. The definition was applied to the FNDDS.

Results
HPF from the literature aligned with three clusters: (1) fat and sodium (> 25% kcal from fat, ≥ 0.30% sodium by weight), (2) fat and simple sugars (> 20% kcal from fat, > 20% kcal from sugar), and (3) carbohydrates and sodium (> 40% kcal from carbohydrates, ≥ 0.20% sodium by weight). In the FNDDS, 62% (4,795/7,757) of foods met HPF criteria. The HPF criteria identified a variety of foods, including some labeled reduced or low fat and vegetables cooked in creams, sauces, or fats.

Conclusions
A data‐derived HPF definition revealed that a substantial percentage of foods in the US food system may be hyper‐palatable, including foods not previously conceptualized as hyper‐palatable.




Data-driven definition of unhealthy yet pervasive 'hyper-palatable' foods
Date: November 5, 2019
Source: University of Kansas
Summary: New research offers specific metrics that might qualify foods as hyper-palatable -- and finds most foods consumed in the United States meet these criteria.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2 ... 104436.htm

The authors found that 62% of foods in the FNDDS met the criteria for at least one of the three clusters they'd identified. Most (70%) of those foods that qualified were high in fat and sodium, such as meat dishes or egg and milk-based foods like omelets or cheese dips. Some 25% of the hyperpalatable foods were high in fat and sugar, and 16% of these foods were high in carbohydrates and sodium. Less than 10% qualified in more than one cluster.

Most shockingly, items labeled as reduced or no fat, sugar, salt or calories represented 5% of hyperpalatable foods identified by the researchers. Moreover, of all items labeled as low/reduced/no sugar, fat, sodium, and/or sugar in the FNDDS, 49% met the criteria for being hyper-palatable.
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Re: Cut The CRAP! Highly processed foods dominate US grocers

Postby JeffN » Tue Jun 16, 2020 7:48 am

Remember, it’s not “processing” per se (as most all the food we consume is processed), it is the type and degree of processing.
Jeff

Properties of Ultraprocessed Foods That Can Drive Excess Intake
Nutr Today. 2020;55(3):109–115
Barbara J. Rolls, PhD Paige M. Cunningham, BS Hanim E. Diktas, MS

https://journals.lww.com/nutritiontoday ... ive.4.aspx

Recent research suggests that ultraprocessed foods, particu- larly as defined by the NOVA system, facilitate overconsump- tion and may contribute to the development of obesity. Questions remain as to what properties of ultraprocessed foods are driving excess intake. Ultraprocessed foods tend to be high in energy density and low in volume, easy to eat rapidly, and highly palatable. Studies indicate that these properties are likely contributors to the overconsumption of ultraprocessed foods, rather than the processing per se. Indeed, processing can be used to modify food properties such as energy density and texture to help reduce overcon- sumption. For many people, ultraprocessed foods provide accessible and affordable sources of nutrients and energy when unprocessed foods are scarce. Future studies should focus on understanding how processing can be used to create widely available and affordable nutrient-rich foods that can help consumers manage energy intake.

The above article also responds to this recent one


Ultra-Processed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain: An Inpatient Randomized Controlled Trial of Ad Libitum Food Intake
Cell Metabolism 30, 1–11, August 6, 2019 Published by Elsevier Inc.

SUMMARY
We investigated whether ultra-processed foods affect energy intake in 20 weight-stable adults, aged (mean ± SE) 31.2 ± 1.6 years and BMI = 27 ± 1.5 kg/m2. Subjects were admitted to the NIH Clinical Center and randomized to receive either ultra-pro- cessed or unprocessed diets for 2 weeks immedi- ately followed by the alternate diet for 2 weeks. Meals were designed to be matched for presented calories, energy density, macronutrients, sugar, sodium, and fiber. Subjects were instructed to consume as much or as little as desired. Energy intake was greater during the ultra-processed diet (508 ± 106 kcal/day; p = 0.0001), with increased consump- tion of carbohydrate (280 ± 54 kcal/day; p < 0.0001) and fat (230 ± 53 kcal/day; p = 0.0004), but not protein (2 ± 12 kcal/day; p = 0.85). Weight changes were highly correlated with energy intake (r = 0.8, p < 0.0001), with participants gaining 0.9 ± 0.3 kg (p = 0.009) during the ultra-processed diet and losing 0.9 ± 0.3 kg (p = 0.007) during the unprocessed diet. Limiting consumption of ultra-processed foods may be an effective strategy for obesity prevention and treatment.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ci ... ion_detail

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Re: Cut The CRAP! Highly processed foods dominate US grocers

Postby JeffN » Wed Apr 26, 2023 9:07 am

Machine learning prediction of the degree of food processing

Nature Communications volume 14, Article number: 2312 (2023)
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-37457-1

Here we introduce a machine learning algorithm that accurately predicts the degree of processing for any food, indicating that over 73% of the US food supply is ultra-processed. We show that the increased reliance of an individual’s diet on ultra-processed food correlates with higher risk of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, angina, elevated blood pressure and biological age, and reduces the bio-availability of vitamins. Finally, we find that replacing foods with less processed alternatives can significantly reduce the health implications of ultra-processed food, suggesting that access to information on the degree of processing, currently unavailable to consumers, could improve population health.
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