Biomarkers for ultra-processed foods reveal diet truth Image By HPN Staff Key Points NIH researchers developed a biomarker-based score that can objectively measure how much energy people consume from ultra-processed foods, replacing less reliable self-reporting. The data could help policymakers link UPFs to obesity, cancer, and type 2 diabetes — and potentially justify regulation of food additives or restrictions in public programs. California lawmakers are considering phasing UPFs out of public-school menus by 2032, with bipartisan support; at least three other states are exploring similar measures. Researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released results of a new study in which they identified biomarkers that can measure how much energy people consume from ultra-processed foods (UPF). UPFs — generally defined as those created through industrial processes and containing high amounts of sugar and other calorie-dense ingredients, but low in nutritional essentials — are common in American diets but have long been suspected of leading to nutritional deficiencies and related health problems. The study, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, can be used to evaluate diets high in UPFs, and study the correlation between such diets and various health concerns. Why it matters This score, and the underlying data from which it is developed, can be utilized as an objective measure to identify UPF-high diets, and accurately study their association with certain health impacts, including obesity, certain cancers and type-2 diabetes. Prior to the NIH study, such data was generally collected via self-reporting — test subjects reporting on what they ate during a given time frame — which experts say is potentially inaccurate or misleading. The inaccuracy of self-reporting is owing to a number of factors, including faulty memory of what was consumed, or inaccuracy in reporting it to the required detail. As the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. prepares for an initiative to bring public attention to the alleged harms of UPFs, empirical data provided by the biomarkers identified in the NIH study could potentially be used by policymakers and regulators. The data could become a new tool to potentially restrict or regulate certain food additives or processes. California lawmakers are currently pursuing legislation that could lead to UPFs being phased out of public-school menus. If enacted, public schools would be required to comply with the law by 2032. The measure has bipartisan support. Three other states have considered similar measures. The bigger picture The test measures metabolites — by-products of digestion — in the blood and urine. The study collected data from several existing observational and experimental studies, predominantly centering on biospecimens from over 700 older American adults, and identified predictive patterns of metabolites in UHP food-heavy diets. The researchers found a correlation between hundreds of these metabolites and the energy generated by UPF intake. They could then use this data to establish a score to identify and catalogue diets by the amount of UPF of which they are comprised. SUGGESTED STORIES Consumers are capable of weighing market tradeoffs in the healthcare industry This is a lightly edited excerpt of testimony recently provided to the U.S. Senate’s Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing " Making Health Care Affordable: Solutions to Lower Costs and Empower Patients." Consumers regularly make a varie Read more Critics call for transparency in a federal hospital funding stream A federal drug pricing program intended to help hospitals fund uncompensated care is facing new criticism. Those critics contend that the program that allows certain hospitals to purchase drugs at a discount has expanded far beyond its original intent. Read more Beverage industry launches transparency initiative Want to know what’s in your soft drink? America’s beverage industry is taking the initiative on ingredient transparency by launching a new website they say will enable consumers to easily access information about what is in their favorite drinks. The American Beverage Association ( Read more
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